The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported on Wednesday that demonstrators in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have taken their protests to a new level. These protesters have allegedly been obstructing Border Patrol agents during routine activities, such as when the agents stopped to use restrooms.
DHS stated that when agents paused for bathroom breaks at local gas stations, they encountered “hostile crowds” that “repeatedly harassed and blocked” them, creating a tense and confrontational atmosphere.
The department shared on X, “Every time agents stopped at a gas station to use the restroom, they were met by groups of agitators who yelled at them, followed them, and attempted to prevent their vehicles from departing, leading to unsafe situations.”
According to DHS, the situation escalated at one point when individuals in the crowd began throwing food at the agents. The tension peaked at their last stop when an agent was spat on. As the agent attempted to detain the person responsible, the crowd reportedly tackled and assaulted the agents, surrounding them aggressively.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 21, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol agents from Commander Greg Bovino’s team faced confrontations at a speedway gas station. (Seth Herald/Reuters)
To manage the situation and ensure safety, the department indicated that agents had to implement crowd control tactics to disperse the demonstrators.
The post comes just ahead of Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Minneapolis. He’s expected to meet with local leaders and deliver remarks focused on restoring law and order in Minnesota.
Tensions between federal immigration enforcement and agitators in Minnesota have grown in recent weeks since the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good. The incident sparked protests and arguments between Minnesota leadership and the federal government.
When President Donald Trump on Tuesday attended a White House briefing marking one year since his inauguration, he took the time to highlight the “Worst of the Worst” criminal illegal immigrants who had been arrested by ICE in Minnesota.
A woman blows her whistle at US Border Patrol agents at a gas station in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 21, 2026. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
The president also addressed the anti-ICE chaos in Minnesota, accusing those demonstrating of being “paid agitators and insurrectionists.” He emphasized that federal immigration enforcement agents are doing “a dangerous job.”
“These are all criminal, illegal aliens that in many cases, they’re murderers, they’re drug lords, drug dealers, they’re the mentally insane. Some of them who are brutal killers. They’re mentally insane. They’re killers, but they’re insane,” Trump said as he held up mugshots of various arrestees.
A federal agent of Commander Greg Bovino’s team looks on during a stop at a gas station as immigration enforcement continues in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 21, 2026. (Seth Herald/Reuters)
Homeland Security’s “Worst of the Worst” database has information on arrestees, including those who were apprehended in Minnesota. The 42 pages for Minnesota include accused gang members, convicted rapists and convicted murderers.
The administration has largely blamed the anti-ICE sentiment on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both of whom criticized federal immigration enforcement in the wake of Good’s death. Immediately following the ICE-involved shooting, Frey demanded the agency “get the f— out” of his city.
