Federal agents employed tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters outside a federal building in Minneapolis on Monday, amid ongoing demonstrations against immigration crackdowns in the Twin Cities.
This tense situation unfolded outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, which is home to several federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities indicated that the clash began when some protesters threw snowballs at federal vehicles.
Officials subsequently issued a warning and deployed crowd control chemicals on a group of around 80 to 90 protesters. Many demonstrators scattered as agents fired rubber bullets and released tear gas. At one point, one protester hurled a firework over a fence, leading to an explosion. Others joined in by setting off more fireworks, lighting up the night sky.
By late Monday, police secured the perimeter of the building. However, it remained unclear if any arrests had taken place.
This unrest coincides with Minnesota, along with Minneapolis and St. Paul, filing a lawsuit aimed at halting or reducing a rise in federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.
“This is essentially a federal invasion of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, and it must stop,” said State Attorney General Keith Ellison during a news conference.
The lawsuit claims that the Department of Homeland Security has violated First Amendment rights and other constitutional protections, asserting that the Trump administration is targeting progressive, immigrant-friendly states. It describes the federal operation as flooding the Twin Cities with armed agents, creating an atmosphere of fear and disrupting local authorities.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs accuse immigration agents of conducting aggressive, military-style raids throughout the Twin Cities, which included schools and hospitals. They allege other issues like racial profiling and using excessive force, framing the enforcement surge as a politically motivated act rather than genuine immigration enforcement.
This legal action follows closely after ICE agents shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in south Minneapolis during a federal operation. Authorities state that the officers were trying to arrest her when she allegedly used her vehicle as a weapon, prompting them to defend themselves.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that over 2,000 arrests have been made in Minnesota since December, a part of what ICE refers to as the largest enforcement operation in the state.
ICE officials recently released a list of individuals deemed the “worst of the worst” among those arrested, including convicted murderers and other violent offenders.
