Anti-ICE protesters are growing more radical as the body count rises
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers and federal agents clash with protesters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 24, 2026 © Getty Images / Richard Tsong-Taatarii
[RT] Federal
immigration agents have shot and killed two American citizens in
Minneapolis in a matter of weeks. Despite their mandate, their presence
in the city has radicalized protesters and polarized the US.
Weeks
after the death of Renee Good, and a day after the fatal shooting of
Alex Pretti by US Border Patrol agents, a mob of protesters descended on
a hotel they believed to be housing federal immigration officers on
Sunday night. The demonstration quickly turned into a riot as activists
spray-painted ‘f**k ICE’ on the hotel’s windows and battered their way
into the lobby, while armed agents attempted to hold them back.
The
agents called for local backup, which reportedly arrived late and
refused to physically move the rioters. The melee was eventually broken
up by more federal agents, who arrived with tear gas.
The
incident marked the latest escalation in US President Donald Trump’s
Minnesota crackdown. Trump’s government agencies are now facing off
against a network of activists and their political backers, and both
sides predict that more blood will be spilled.
Why is ICE in Minnesota?
The
US Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is tasked
with seeking out and removing illegal immigrants throughout the US.
Although Minneapolis is more than 1,000 miles from the US’ southern
border, ICE announced in December that it would launch ‘Operation Metro
Surge’ in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as news broke of a
multi-billion-dollar fraud ring led by Somalis.
Trump
announced the deployment of a further 2,000 ICE, Border Patrol, and
other federal agents to Minneapolis earlier this month. The US Justice
Department has charged 98 members of the Somali fraud ring – many of
them naturalized US citizens – with criminal offenses, and ICE agents
have arrested 3,000 “criminal illegal aliens” during Operation Metro Surge, according to a statement made by the agency last week.
Who did they shoot?
Liberal
activists have held massive protests against the federal deployments
from the outset, organizing on ‘ICE Watch’ messaging groups and using
vehicles to impede the agents in the streets. Renee Good, a member of
one of these groups, blocked a street with her SUV on January 7, leading
to a confrontation with Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent.
The lesbian
teacher was ordered to get out of her vehicle, but refused and drove
forward. It is unclear whether she intended to ram Ross, but he fired
three times, killing her.
The
latest incident happened on Saturday, when US Border Patrol agents shot
and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis resident and
intensive care nurse. Pretti was carrying a legally-owned Sig P320
handgun at an anti-ICE protest. The US Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) claimed that Pretti had brandished the weapon at the agents,
although this is not clear from video footage of the incident.
Firearms
experts have also claimed that Pretti’s P320 – a model known for
accidentally discharging – went off as an agent was confiscating it,
prompting the other agents to open fire. ICE banned its own agents from
using the P320 last year over the risk of negligent discharges.
Who’s radicalizing the protesters?
US Vice President J.D. Vance has accused local authorities and left-wing activists of working together to create “engineered chaos” in Minneapolis.
Local
politicians have made no secret of their opposition to the ICE
deployment. The State of Minnesota has sued to halt Operation Metro
Surge, while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has assured residents –
illegal and legal – that city police would not cooperate with federal
agents. At a press conference last week, Frey said that his officers
would “fight ICE on the streets.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has also sided with the protesters. Walz has called for Trump to pull “his 3,000 untrained agents”
out of the state, and deployed National Guard troops to hand out donuts
and coffee to protesters. One National Guardsman described this as “a demonstration of safety and security.”
High-profile
Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Presidents
Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have encouraged further demonstrations,
with Clinton calling on protesters to “stand up and speak out” for their “freedoms.”
With Democrat officials and liberal journalists spotted
in anti-ICE group chats, some protesters have been emboldened to
surveil and stop vehicles they suspect of carrying ICE agents. In one
clip that went viral on Sunday, a group of activists refused to let one
vehicle continue until the occupants showed IDs proving they were not
agents.
Is a new civil war looming?
Listening
to some of their rhetoric, it would seem that the protesters and their
backers are preparing for open fighting. Arizona Attorney General Kris
Mayes stated last week that activists could be justified in shooting ICE
agents if they feel endangered, while an Episcopal bishop in New
Hampshire caused controversy by telling his clergy to “have their wills written” and prepare for “a new era of martyrdom.”
DHS has described Mayes’ comment as a “direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers” that “is going to get someone killed.”
Trump
threatened last week to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow
him to deploy the US military to restore order in Minnesota. However, he
has made similar threats in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago without
following through, and he suggested on Sunday that ICE will withdraw
from Minneapolis “at some point.”
The situation in
Minneapolis will remain tense as long as federal agents are on the
ground. However, the level of violence in the city has a long way to go
before it reaches the heights seen during the wave of Black Lives Matter
riots that hit more than 200 US cities in 2020. The riots caused up to
$2 billion in property damage, led to the death of 20 people and the
occupation of city blocks in Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis by
activists, but ultimately died down by the fall.
According to
recent media reports, Trump is wavering on his commitment to the
Minneapolis operation. Mainstream Republicans are calling for an
investigation into ICE conduct, and Trump is reportedly frustrated that
his immigration message is being drowned out by images of violence
coming out of the city. With midterm elections less than a year away,
expect the president to wind down the operation if the bad press
continues.