Counterprotesters chase off conservative influencer during Minneapolis immigration crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of counterprotesters drowned out a far-right activist’s attempt to hold a small rally in support of the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown in Minneapolis on Saturday, as the governor’s office announced that National Guard troops were mobilized and ready to assist law enforcement though not yet deployed to city streets.

There have been protests every day since the Department of Homeland Security ramped up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul by bringing in more than 2,000 federal officers.

Conservative influencer Jake Lang organized an anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-ICE demonstration, saying on social media beforehand that he intended to “burn a Quran” on the steps of City Hall. But it was not clear if he carried out that plan.

Only a small number of people showed up for Lang’s demonstration, while hundreds of counterprotesters converged at the site, yelling over his attempts to speak and chasing the pro-ICE group away. They forced at least one person to take off a shirt they deemed objectionable.

Lang appeared to be injured as he left the scene, with bruises and scrapes on his head.

Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes before receiving clemency as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for Jan. 6 defendants last year. Lang recently announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.

In Minneapolis, snowballs and water balloons were also thrown before an armored police van and heavily equipped city police arrived.

“We’re out here to show Nazis and ICE and DHS and MAGA you are not welcome in Minneapolis,” protester Luke Rimington said. “Stay out of our city, stay out of our state. Go home.”

The state guard said in a statement that it had been “mobilized” by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to support the Minnesota State Patrol “to assist in providing traffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully.”

Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, a spokesperson for the guard, said it was “staged and ready” but yet to be deployed.

The announcement came more than a week after Walz, a frequent critic and target of Trump, told the guard to be ready to support law enforcement in the state.

During the daily protests, demonstrators have railed against masked immigration officers pulling people from homes and cars and other aggressive tactics. The operation in the deeply liberal Twin Cities has claimed at least one life: Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was shot by an ICE officer during a Jan. 7 confrontation.

On Friday a federal judge ruled that immigration officers cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities, including while observing officers during the Minnesota crackdown.

During a news conference Saturday, a man who fled civil war in Liberia as a child said he has been afraid to leave his Minneapolis home since being released from an immigration detention center following his arrest last weekend.

Video of federal officers breaking down Garrison Gibson's front door with a battering ram Jan. 11 become another rallying point for protesters who oppose the crackdown.

Gibson, 38, was ordered to be deported, apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed. He has remained in the country legally under what’s known as an order of supervision. After his recent arrest, a judge ruled that federal officials did not give him enough notice that his supervision status had been revoked.

Then Gibson was taken back into custody for several hours Friday when he made a routine check-in with immigration officials. Gibson’s cousin Abena Abraham said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told her White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller ordered the second arrest.

The White House denied the account of the re-arrest and that Miller had anything to do with it.

Gibson was flown to a Texas immigration detention facility but returned home following the judge's ruling. His family used a dumbbell to keep their damaged front door closed amid subfreezing temperatures before spending $700 to fix it.

“I don’t leave the house,” Gibson said at a news conference.

DHS said an “activist judge” was again trying to stop the deportation of “criminal illegal aliens.”

“We will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Gibson said he has done everything he was supposed to do: “If I was a violent person, I would not have been out these past 17 years, checking in.”

Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed.

Garrison Gibson, a Liberian man who has lived in the U.S. for around three decades, shows reporters his shirt reading “Immigrants make America great” during a news conference Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

A Jake Lang supporter clashes with counterprotesters the March Against Minnesota Fraud rally near Minneapolis City Hall, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Jake Lang, center, who organized the protest March Against Minnesota Fraud, clutches his head as he leaves the rally near Minneapolis City Hall, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A Jake Lang supporter bleeds from his head as he is chased away by pro-immigration protesters Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A pro-immigration protester lifts up Jake Lang's vest after an altercation at the March Against Minnesota Fraud rally near Minneapolis City Hall, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

ADDS IDENTIFICATION: Garrison Gibson becomes emotional as he is arrested by federal immigration officers Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

ADDS IDENTIFICATION: Teyana Gibson Brown, second from left, wife of Garrison Gibson, reacts after federal immigration officers arrested Garrison Gibson, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal immigration officers prepare to enter a home to make an arrest after an officer used a battering ram to break down a door Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Garrison Gibson, a Liberian man who has lived in the U.S. for around three decades, shows a photo of his arrest on a t-shirt as he speaks with reporters during a news conference Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

Garrison Gibson, a Liberian man who has lived in the U.S. for around three decades, speaks with reporters during a news conference Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

HONOLULU (AP) — Chris Gotterup had leis draped around his neck, a flute of champagne in one hand and the gold Sony Open trophy in the other for the traditional toast from the Waialae members Sunday evening. He's loved coming to Hawaii, even if the occasion was never worth celebrating.

He was part of the rookie class that came to Honolulu in 2024 for orientation, only to be told there was no room for them in the field. He missed the cut a year ago, falling to No. 195 in the world.

On Sunday, he pulled away with a combination of power and putting for a 6-under 64 to win the Sony Open by two shots, giving him three victories in three years on the PGA Tour and moving him closer to golf's A-list.

“I just felt like this week I was in a good frame of mind, just happy to be here,” Gotterup said. “I felt like I was in control of my brain, which is the most important thing. I drove it great and made some putts when it mattered.”

He finished at 16-under 264 and moved to No. 17 in the world.

Ryan Gerard birdied his last two holes for a 65 to finish alone in second. He flew to Mauritius at the end of last year and was runner-up to move into the top 50 and secure a spot in his first Masters. Now he’s just outside the top 30.

Patrick Rodgers had another chance at his first PGA Tour victory, but he went without a birdie on the back nine until the final hole. He closed with a 65 to finish third.

“Unfortunately, didn’t have a hot putter today,” said Rodgers, who now has nine top 3s since 2015.

Gotterup had a dream week, in control of his game at Waialae, cruising the streets of Waikiki at night to get away from golf. On Sunday, he got a little help from 54-hole leader Davis Riley, who had a pair of birdies through five holes before his bid ended in a span of four holes.

He had consecutive three-putt bogeys from long range, and then followed with a wild drive into the trees left of the eighth fairway that led to double bogey. He went from a two-shot lead to three shots behind and never caught up, closing with a 71 to tie for sixth.

But then, Gotterup didn't give anyone much of a chance.

“It was anyone’s tournament,” Gotterup said. “Then I made a couple nice putts and I saw a couple people drop back. I know Ryan played a great tournament and he tried to make a run at the end. Couple other guys played great and I just held them off.”

Even on an old-school Waialae course with doglegs framed by royal palms, he pounded away with tee shots of 330-plus yards early on the back nine. But it was his putter that ultimately made a difference.

Gotterup holed a 20-footer on No. 12, and then poured in a 25-foot putt on the 13th, the toughest hole on the course. He all but clinched it with a tee shot that landed perfectly between the pin and the bunker on the par-3 17th for a final birdie.

He said the course reminded him of a home, and Gotterup has a lot of those lately — raised in New Jersey and three years at Rutgers, a senior season at Oklahoma where he stayed until recently moving to Florida.

This reference was Jersey, mainly the shape of the holes and the shots required.

“Just the way you play the golf course reminds me a lot of how I grew up playing,” Gotterup said. “So that is a comforting feeling. I know the kind of golf that’s required ... and it’s a fine line of bomb-and-gouge and also needing to be in the fairway. I did enough of finding the fairway this week.”

The Sony Open was the latest start to the PGA Tour season because The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to a water dispute that had the course brown in September.

The final round at Waialae was played under a vibe that this might be the last of Hawaii on the tour. The Sony Open title sponsorship expires this year, and there is a movement to start the tour season later than ever in 2027 and going forward, either right before or after the Super Bowl.

“Hopefully,” Gotterup said, “I'm not the last champion.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup holds his trophy after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Patrick Rodgers reacts on the 13th green during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Ryan Gerard hits on the 18th hole during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup hits from the 14th tee during the fourth round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Chris Gotterup reacts after winning the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)