Tensions erupted in Minneapolis overnight, as demonstrators clashed with federal law enforcement following another controversial incident involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city. The confrontation stretched from Wednesday evening into the early hours of Thursday, fueled by growing demands from local officials for ICE to cease operations in the area.
The latest flashpoint occurred when an ICE agent shot a man accused of being an undocumented immigrant. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the shooting was a defensive action, taken when the suspect allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted the officer, prompting the agent to fear for his life. The suspect, now in custody, sustained a leg injury but is reportedly in stable condition. Meanwhile, the agent involved is said to be receiving medical attention at a hospital.
This incident follows another recent encounter in Minneapolis that has escalated tensions between the community and ICE. Last week, Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent. Ross reportedly fired into Good’s vehicle from the side, with witnesses recounting his expletive-laden outburst as the car collided with a parked vehicle.
In the aftermath of these events, federal agents used tear gas and pepper balls against protesters, further igniting public outrage. Images from January 14, 2026, capture the intensity of these confrontations, with community members standing firm in their demand for justice.
The tragic death of Good has sparked widespread condemnation, with Democrats and local residents labeling the shooting a murder and calling for Ross to face prosecution. In contrast, the Trump administration and Republican figures have rallied behind the agent, asserting that the shooting was a justified response under the circumstances.
Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for Ross’ prosecution, while the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident by arguing that it was a justified shooting.
Protests continued on Wednesday after the latest shooting, with demonstrators using horns and whistles and officers deploying tear gas and pepper balls.
There were at least a hundred people at the scene, where officers were dispersing pepper spray, throwing pepper balls and using flash bangs as protesters tossed items at the agents. Demonstrators were also calling on ICE to leave the city and holding signs with phrases such as “f— ICE.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a crowd was committing “unlawful acts,” including throwing fireworks at officers, and urged people to “leave immediately.”
“This is already a very tense situation, and we do not need this to escalate any further,” he said.
Federal agents clash with protesters as tensions intensified following a shooting involving ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2026. (Getty Images)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged peaceful demonstrations in response to the shooting.
“I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants,” Walz wrote on X.
Walz also made an address to Minnesotans where he again called on ICE to leave the state.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who has repeatedly demanded that ICE leave, said the agency’s presence is not establishing safety for community members.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in,” he said at a news conference, adding that the deployment of roughly 3,000 ICE agents in Minneapolis and statewide was “creating chaos.”
Federal agents respond to protests following a shooting involving ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2026. (Getty Images)
“It’s certainly not creating safety when a huge percentage of the shootings that have taken place so far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE,” he said. “So let’s be very clear. I’ve seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable.”
The mayor also praised people protesting peacefully but warned that others were “taking the bait.”
“We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” he said.
“American citizens are getting picked up off the street by people in masks,” the mayor added. “That’s not the way things should be conducted in any city in America. That’s not who we are, that’s not America. So I’m calling for peace. Everybody has a role in achieving that peace. We’re going to try to do everything we can to keep it.”
