In Minneapolis today, federal immigration agents deployed tear gas, pepper spray and other crowd-control measures as tensions with anti-ICE demonstrators intensified during ongoing protests at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building.
Video footage and eyewitness accounts show agents attempting to push through a dense crowd that surrounded them during an enforcement operation. As the group advanced, officers responded with chemical irritants — including tear gas and pepper spray — in efforts to disperse the crowd and clear space around the scene.
Protests outside the Whipple Federal Building have continued in recent weeks following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration agent, drawing large crowds and frequent confrontations between federal officers and demonstrators. Demonstrators have gathered daily to oppose what they describe as aggressive federal immigration enforcement, while authorities maintain they are carrying out lawful operations.
In some encounters, agents were recorded advancing on groups of agitators, and quickly deploying pepper spray and tear gas after protesters refused repeated commands to back up and created safety risks by surrounding law enforcement vehicles.
The use of these tactics comes amid a broader legal and political backdrop: recent court orders have at times limited federal officers’ ability to use such measures, though an appeals court temporarily lifted restrictions in Minnesota, allowing immigration officers more leeway in responding to confrontations with demonstrators while challenges to those limits continue.
Officials say that crowd-control agents are only deployed when protesters interfere with federal operations or pose a risk to officers and bystanders. Critics argue that the force used can be excessive and highlight concerns about proper training and oversight for federal troops handling large protests.
The situation remains fluid, with both sides reaffirming their positions: law enforcement stressing the importance of executing federal directives safely, and community activists demanding accountability and restraint in the use of tactics like tear gas and pepper spray.
