Protesters braved the cold to again take to the streets of Minneapolis on Monday as they continue to voice their anger over the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city, nearly two weeks after a local resident was shot and killed by an ICE officer.
On a cold and icy night, protesters camped out outside a federal immigration building, greeting each car that came and went, waving flags and holding aloft placards expressing their displeasure at the actions of the immigration agents who are patrolling their city.
Amid the escalating tensions following the death of a local resident and the confrontational scenes among ICE officers and local people, the Trump administration is reportedly considering the possible deployment of some 1,500 U.S. military troops to the city.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey recently said that the situation is "not sustainable," while residents remain disgusted by the level of brutality being shown by the federal agents on the streets.
"I'm out here because as a veteran I literally served to protect and defend our Constitution and our rights and our freedoms, and they're trampling on them every single day and I'm sick of it, so I'm out here," said Drew, a local.
"I am tired of this regime being bullies and hurting fellow Minnesotans and immigrants," said Bill, another protester.
The major flashpoint come on January 7, when an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good as she tried to steer her car out of a neighborhood where immigration officers were operating. Federal authorities claim the agent was acting in self-defense. Many observers said otherwise.
"A woman was murdered on our streets, and it was murder. If it was self-defense, why is he not being indicted? There's plenty of probable cause to indict this man, but also when our laws start not mattering to federal agents, they can get away with all types of laws, why should it apply to us either? So, I'm ready for it to end," said a protester named Amber.
The furore over the incident has threatened to spiral out of control, with some U.S. leaders including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance defending the ICE agent, claiming the woman attempted to run over officers in what they called "an act of domestic terrorism."
Others say video footage of the incident in fact shows Good posed no serious threat, and accuse the officer of acting recklessly, causing the needless loss of life.
On Saturday, a man demonstrating in support of ICE raids was attacked in downtown Minneapolis by an angry anti-ICE mob. A woman who was opposed to his views said she drove him to safety.
The U.S. Department of Justice said it has been investigating a group of protesters who disrupted services at a church where an ICE official apparently serves as a pastor.
The deployment of U.S. soldiers has remained a real possibility if President Trump decides the situation is so unruly and violent that he needs to invoke the Insurrection Act.
However, protesters say they will continue to stand up peacefully in support of immigrants and others who they argue have been targeted solely because of the color of their skin.
"They're not even letting them even show that they're citizens, how is that a thing? I mean, they won't even give them a chance to prove that they're a citizen, what are they taking them for?" said a protester.
The Trump administration recently announced it is sending 2,000 immigration agents to the Minneapolis area amid allegations of welfare fraud involving immigrants in the state of Minnesota. The number of newly dispatched ICE and Border Patrol agents has since increased to nearly 3,000.
Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have demanded that ICE leave the city and state immediately, arguing that their presence is causing chaos.
Protests continue amid ongoing anger over ICE presence in Minneapolis
Protests continue amid ongoing anger over ICE presence in Minneapolis
Protests continue amid ongoing anger over ICE presence in Minneapolis
