The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to all anti-ICE protesters, cautioning them to “be smart” and obey the law.
“REMINDER: If you obstruct a law enforcement officer it is a federal crime and felony,” DHS wrote on X on Thursday, January 15. “If you lay a finger on law enforcement or destroy federal property you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The warning comes after weeks of anti-ICE protests centered in Minneapolis, with demonstrations also emerging in other major cities. Minneapolis officials previously announced that 30 people were arrested during last weekend’s protests, though an updated total was unavailable at publication.
REMINDER: if you obstruct a law enforcement officer it is a federal crime and felony.
If you lay a finger on law enforcement or destroy federal property you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Be smart.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 15, 2026
Protests escalated following last weekend’s fatal ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman whom DHS says intended to use her vehicle as a weapon in an act of domestic terrorism. Videos show Good putting her car into drive while one ICE agent had his arm inside the vehicle, and another was positioned directly in front of it.
President Donald Trump suggested in a Truth Social post on Thursday that he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act, which would allow the deployment of U.S. military personnel to Minnesota to quell the protests. No president has invoked the Insurrection Act since George H.W. Bush during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Bush also invoked the act in 1989 following Hurricane Hugo to address widespread looting in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Trump previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act last October in cities including Portland and Chicago, saying it would “quickly put an end to the travesty.” There were no updates regarding potential deployments as of publication.
Tensions rose Wednesday night when a federal agent shot and injured a man who, along with another individual, allegedly assaulted the officer with a shovel and a broom handle. DHS said two people attacked the agent and are now in custody. The injured individual was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. DHS has alleged that he is an illegal alien from Venezuela.
🚨’I’M NOT PAID’: When anti-ICE agitators were asked why they aren’t at work on a Thursday afternoon, one man told @AlexisMcAdamsTV:
“I have a job, but this is more important.” | @AmericaRpts pic.twitter.com/fGN5GzNcr8
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 15, 2026
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey thanked those who have “peacefully protested” during a Wednesday press conference.
“For those who are taking the bait, you are not helping, and you are not helping the undocumented immigrants of our city,” Frey said. “You are not helping the people who call this place home.”
ICE agents have continued apprehending undocumented immigrants in Minneapolis amid the ongoing protests. As of January 15, DHS said more than 2,500 illegal aliens have been arrested in connection with Operation Metro Surge, which formally began in late November.
Homeland Security announced Monday, January 12, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested dozens of undocumented immigrants last weekend. Those detained in Operation Metro Surge came from multiple countries, including Somalia, Laos, and Mexico, and had prior arrests for crimes ranging from child cruelty to assault.
