Minneapolis police chief criticized ICE after video showed an officer kneeling on a woman and dragging her during an attempted arrest amid protests. City officers say they responded but left to de-escalate after observing no violence toward federal agents; the woman was released. DHS said officers were attacked with rocks and ice and that two people were charged; community leaders say ICE tactics have grown more aggressive.
Minneapolis Police Chief Rebukes ICE After Officer Kneels On Woman During Arrest Attempt
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara speaks at a news conference earlier this month to address reports of a planned federal operation targeting Somali immigrants, in Minneapolis. - Tim Evans/Reuters
Minneapolis' police chief publicly criticized federal immigration agents after video circulated showing an officer kneeling on a woman and later trying to drag her toward an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle during a confrontation with protesters.
The incident occurred Monday in a Minneapolis neighborhood near a Somali business district, one of the largest Somali communities in the United States. Onlooker footage shows bystanders shouting that the woman appeared to be pregnant and was having trouble breathing as an agent knelt on her back and later dragged her by one arm across a snowbank. Bystanders eventually forced the agent to release her.
City Police Response
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a federal agent called Minneapolis police asking for assistance. When city officers arrived, they reported no visible violence against federal officers and intentionally left the scene to try to de-escalate tensions. O’Hara added that some "other law enforcement agencies" may have used "questionable methods," stressing that Minneapolis police have undergone intensive de-escalation training for several years.
"We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation," O'Hara said. "But unfortunately that is often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city."
Bystander Accounts and Crowd Reaction
Several witnesses said they had used whistles and car horns — a common community alert for ICE activity — to warn residents. Lauryn Spencer, who said she filmed the encounter, described agents as aggressive and said she and others were pushed back and sprayed with chemical irritants. Witnesses said some people threw snowballs at officers after the woman was dragged.
Federal Statement and Charges
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said federal officers were focused on a vehicle when protesters "threw rocks, chunks of ice, assaulted officers and used pepper spray" against agents. McLaughlin said officers sustained multiple injuries, including cuts, and that two people were charged with assaulting federal officers and remain in custody. She added that officers tried to arrest the woman after she allegedly rushed an ICE vehicle and attempted to vandalize it, but abandoned the arrest when protesters surrounded them.
Community Context
Local leaders say the ICE operation has increased tensions across the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Former state legislator Hodan Hassan said tactics have grown more aggressive as the operation continued across consecutive weeks. The clash drew particular attention because it occurred a few miles from the location where George Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck — an episode that sparked national protests and renewed demands for policing reform.
Footage and competing accounts from officials and witnesses continue to fuel debate over enforcement tactics and crowd-control methods. Minneapolis police and federal authorities say investigations and reviews are likely to follow as community leaders call for transparency.
