Thousands march and dozens arrested in Minneapolis protests against ICE

6 hours ago

Ana Faguy

Watch: Thousands march in Minneapolis in protest against ICE

Thousands of people joined another night of protests in Minneapolis on Saturday, following the death of a woman who was shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the city.

Earlier, city officials said 30 people had been arrested during the weekend's protests, and one police officer had minor injuries after a "chunk of ice was thrown at them".

Protests against immigration enforcement have been held across the US after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Wednesday. More protests are expected in major US cities on Sunday.

The Trump administration said the agent who fired the shots acted in self-defence. Local officials have insisted the woman posed no danger.

People gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday despite bitterly cold weather, while anti-ICE protests also took place elsewhere in the US, including in Austin, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles.

Minneapolis police estimated "tens of thousands of people" attended the "ICE out of Minnesota" rally and march, which started in Powderhorn Park on Saturday.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the protest was "peaceful".

On Friday night, Minneapolis Police declared an unlawful assembly as protesters gathered outside the Canopy Hotel in the city, where some ICE agents were believed to be staying.

The Minneapolis police department said in a statement that "several hundred people" attended and "some individuals forced entry into the hotel through an alley entrance".

Videos posted online showed protesters flashing bright lights into the area, blowing whistles and banging on drums.

Police said some threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, police vehicles and other vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported.

One law enforcement officer suffered minor injuries but did not need any medical attention, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Watch: Video filmed by ICE agent who shot Minneapolis woman has emerged

Officials said another hotel in the city was also targeted and had window and graffiti damage.

At a news conference on Saturday morning, Mayor Frey applauded the majority of peaceful protesters, but noted that individuals who cause damage to property or put others in harm's way would be arrested.

Those arrested on Friday night were later released, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said.

Many Minnesotans have been frustrated by the presence of ICE in the state and O'Hara said his department was getting dozens of phone calls every day about the federal agency's operations.

The shooting incident has exposed a stark political division, with both sides accusing the other of using inflammatory rhetoric.

On Sunday, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem doubled down on her assessment that Good was committing an act of "domestic terrorism". She told CNN that Good had "weaponised" her car" to attack ICE agents in the city of Minneapolis.

Frey who spoke to CNN minutes later, and said "anybody can see that this victim is not a domestic terrorist" and characterised her actions as trying to do a three-point turn to escape the scene.

The Minneapolis mayor added that the city's local law enforcement were "outnumbered by the number of ICE agents and beyond".

On Saturday, three congresswomen from Minnesota attempted to tour an ICE facility in Minneapolis. The women said they were initially allowed to enter, but were then told they had to leave.

Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.

"They do not care that they are violating federal law," Craig said.

"The public deserves to know what is taking place in ICE facilities," Omar posted on X on Saturday.

A DHS policy dated 8 January, the day after Good was shot, requires members of Congress to give seven days' notice for any visit to ICE facilities.

The BBC's US partner, CBS News, reports that the policy was submitted in a federal court on Saturday.

An earlier video shows the incident from another perspective

Good was shot and killed in her car on Wednesday.

Videos of the incident show ICE agents approaching a car which is in the middle of the street, and telling the woman behind the wheel to get out of the SUV. One of the agents tugs at the driver's side door handle.

As the vehicle attempts to drive off, one of the agents at the front of the car points their gun at the driver and several shots are heard.

The car then continues to drive away from the officer and crashes into the side of the street.

Good's wife told local media the pair had gone to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to support neighbours.

The officer who fired on Good is Jonathan Ross, a veteran ICE agent who was previously injured in the line of duty when he was struck by a car.

The FBI is investigating the incident.

On Friday, Minnesota officials said they would open an inquiry into the shooting after saying they had been frozen out of the federal investigation.

The announcement came a day after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the FBI had initially pledged a joint investigation, then reversed course. The US vice-president said the investigation was a federal issue.