Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to support the State Patrol as protests continue in Minneapolis tied to recent ICE operations. Troops are staged to provide traffic and support roles but are not deployed on city streets, officials said. A federal judge restricted certain crowd-control tactics for agents in Operation Metro Surge, and a reported DOJ inquiry into state and city leaders has heightened tensions. Two children, including a 6-month-old infant, were hospitalized after exposure to tear gas.
Minnesota Mobilizes National Guard As Protests Continue Over ICE Operations
A protester tried to shield himself Wednesday as federal agents fire munitions and pepper balls during a demonstration in Minneapolis. - Ryan Murphy/Reuters
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has mobilized the state National Guard to support the Minnesota State Patrol amid continuing protests in Minneapolis connected to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. A Minnesota National Guard spokesperson said, "We are staged and ready to respond. We are not deployed to city streets at this time," adding that troops will provide traffic support to protect life, preserve property and help ensure the right of peaceful assembly.
On the Ground
Protesters gathered in subfreezing temperatures downtown and outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. CNN reporters observed several people detained near the federal facility, though officials had not immediately explained those detentions. City officials placed road closures and increased security at some downtown sites and hotels as a precaution.
Federal agents and protesters stood their ground in the subfreezing cold Friday night outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. - Steven Garcia/NurPhoto/AP
State Response
Walz posted on social media: "Stay safe and stay peaceful today. Our public safety team has the resources, coordination, and personnel on the ground to maintain public safety and respond if needed. Thanks to local law enforcement for keeping the peace." The Minnesota Department of Public Safety published photos of Guard personnel gathering equipment and guard vehicles staged on snowy roads, saying the mobilization was at the governor's direction to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.
Legal And Federal Developments
A U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction limiting tactics available to immigration agents involved in the current operation in Minnesota. The order bars agents involved in Operation Metro Surge from using certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters — including "pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools" — and from stopping and detaining drivers without "reasonable articulable suspicion." The injunction applies only to agents in the ongoing Minnesota operation.
Federal immigration officers and protesters are gathered outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Thursday in Minneapolis. - John Locher/AP
Separately, sources told CNN that the Department of Justice is investigating Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for possible obstruction of federal law enforcement; neither official has confirmed the probe. Walz and Frey have urged protesters to remain peaceful and warned against actions that might prompt a stronger federal response.
Federal Response And Local Pushback
The Department of Homeland Security said it is "taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters," while asserting that agents adhere to training and use the minimum force necessary. Local leaders, Democratic lawmakers and activists have criticized federal tactics, prompting field hearings and multiple lawsuits — including a state and local suit asking a court to halt what they call a "federal invasion" during Operation Metro Surge.
Notable Incidents
Officials linked the protests to the earlier fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Goodby by an ICE officer and to a separate incident in which an agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man during an arrest. City officials also reported that two children, including a 6-month-old infant, were hospitalized after exposure to tear gas deployed during a protest; the infant reportedly experienced breathing difficulties but was breathing and stable when first responders arrived.
What’s next: State and local officials say they are prepared for additional demonstrations and are coordinating law enforcement and emergency responses. This story is developing and may be updated as new information becomes available.
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