2026-01-18 08:59
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2026-01-18 08:59
Hundreds of ICE opponents took to the streets of Minneapolis on Saturday to protest increased immigration raids and the presence of federal agents in the city. The demonstration was also a response to the aggression of a small group of right-wing supporters of the services' actions.
According to Reuters, the protest took place in an atmosphere of growing tensions after the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officer earlier this month. Several hundred demonstrators gathered downtown near City Hall, chanting slogans calling on agents to leave Minneapolis and carrying signs saying, “ICE get out of here!”
When a group of about ten right-wing activists arrived, they were quickly surrounded and driven out by the crowd. Despite the freezing cold and the felt temperature reaching -20 degrees Celsius, snowballs and water balloons were thrown at the visitors. The police present at the scene kept their distance and did not intervene.
One of the central figures on the pro-ICE side was Jake Lang, a right-wing influencer pardoned for his role in the January 6 storming of the Capitol. According to NBC News, he later claimed on X:
“I just got stabbed in Minnesota today.” However, the police did not confirm these reports, and the services did not receive any official notification of the attack.
Lang and his supporters were pushed against the wall of City Hall, where they were doused with water and drowned out by counter-protesters. Although Lang had previously announced the public burning of the Quran, this ultimately did not happen. His speeches were lost in the crowd chanting, among others: “Down with the Nazis, every day.”
NBC News also quotes statements from participants on both sides. Gary, a demonstrator in support of the services' actions, declared: “I support ICE 100 percent and in every way. If I could join them, I would.”
In turn, 60-year-old Sara Steck, participating in the counter-protest, emphasized: “This city was built by immigrants. This is about more than just the Renee Good case.”
The Minnesota authorities announced that the National Guard had been put on alert, but ultimately it was not decided to send the units to the streets. Saturday's events highlighted deep social divisions in Minneapolis in the face of the tightening immigration policy of Donald Trump's administration.
Media: The Pentagon plans to send 1,500 troops to Minnesota
The Pentagon is to prepare about 1,500 soldiers for operations in Minnesota, where protests against the actions of migration services are ongoing, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing American military officials.
US army units are to be deployed in the event of a further escalation of protests and riots in Minnesota, which could not be handled by National Guard units deployed in such cases.
Representatives of the White House and the Pentagon have not yet commented on the information from the Washington Post.
Tensions in Minneapolis have escalated following the death of a 37-year-old woman shot by an ICE agent early last week. This became a catalyst for protests and criticism of the presence of federal services in the city.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to use the Insurrection Act in Minnesota. This act allows the use of the army to pacify riots.
The Insurrection Act has been used many times in U.S. history to suppress riots using the National Guard or regular military. The last time it was invoked was by President George HW Bush in 1992 to pacify racial riots in Los Angeles. One of the most famous cases was Dwight Eisenhower's use of the act to allow racial desegregation of schools in Arkansas. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson also intervened in similar circumstances. (PAP)
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Andrzej Dobrowolski from New York (PAP)
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