Trigger Warning: The article mentions details about violence.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents in Minneapolis created chaos after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent fired in self-defense after what officials described as a vehicle maneuver that endangered officers, though that claim has been criticized by Minnesota leaders and several media outlets.
In response to the protests that broke out afterward, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy more federal forces to Minnesota, a move that has drawn criticism of federal immigration enforcement tactics and the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that while preventing crime and handling homicides is a core duty for police, officers were occupied with responding to unrest sparked by the federal enforcement presence.
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Frey said that incidents involving federal agents using force against civilians, including immigrants and suspected criminals, have disrupted local police efforts to focus on their primary duties. Local officials have criticized both the tactics and the scale of the federal presence in Minneapolis.
A father of six told Sky News that during protests following the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, ICE agents fired tear gas toward his family’s car, resulting in his children being taken to the hospital. Other reports from the protests include allegations that officers confiscated phones, used pepper spray, and used force against demonstrators who raised their voices during clashes with law enforcement.
On Jan. 13, video footage in Minneapolis captured an incident in which masked law enforcement officers surrounded a disabled woman seated in her car while residents gathered nearby. The officers repeatedly ordered her to move the vehicle, attempted to open the door and ultimately broke the front passenger window.
This sequence followed escalating protests after Good’s killing. A host on a local Minneapolis program reported that the president of the Minneapolis City Council was allegedly assaulted by ICE agents while observing an arrest on city streets.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Jan. 11 that “hundreds more” federal officers would be sent to the Twin Cities as protests continued. Trump used Truth Social on Jan. 15 to warn Minnesota politicians that he might invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy military forces domestically, raising further concerns about federal intervention.
Under the act, the president can deploy the U.S. military nationally and federalize state National Guard units in specific situations. Critics warn such a move could lead to abrupt raids and searches and further militarize the city.
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Furthermore, the host on the show claims that ” Donald Trump does not know how to admit when he’s wrong,” and hence, he adds fuel to the fire and makes things worst. Trump is allegedly aware that the situation in Minnesota is on the edge, and the administration is reportedly doing it ” on purpose.”
Former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor joined the segment on the show, where he pointed out that the Trump administration could truly invoke the Insurrection Act and push it to the Supreme Court sooner than we think. Knowing Trump’s unpredictable and radical leadership style, the upcoming days remain crucial for the people of Minnesota.
Last year, Trump also authorized deployments of National Guard members and federal officers to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. He claimed that the crime rates in those cities have increased, even though facts reported by several outlets suggested otherwise.
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As per The New York Times, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has been a long-standing Trump hater who warned of his further action after his deployment in June. In response, Donald Trump further labelled the protesters as “animals” and “a foreign enemy. Chicago’s governor, JB Pritzker, also indulged in an online feud over these decisions.
