The FBI has asked field agents nationwide to volunteer for temporary duty in Minneapolis as the city faces ongoing anti‑ICE demonstrations after the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good. Volunteers may be asked to investigate "AFO" (assault on a federal officer) cases and crimes involving FBI vehicles. The outreach is voluntary and, so far, has generated minimal response. Local leaders and residents have criticized the large immigration enforcement presence, while President Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act.
FBI Asks Field Agents Nationwide To Volunteer For Temporary Assignments In Minneapolis Amid Protests
Federal law enforcement agents confront anti-ICE protesters during a demonstration outside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Thursday. (Octavio Jones / AFP - Getty Images)(Octavio Jones)
The FBI has reached out to agents from field offices across the country asking for volunteers to take temporary assignments in Minneapolis as the city experiences sustained anti‑ICE protests following the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, according to multiple sources.
What The Request Says
Messages to field offices—first reported by Bloomberg and corroborated by law enforcement sources—did not spell out every duty volunteers would perform. One source told NBC News that assignments are expected to include investigations of "AFO" cases (the FBI designation for alleged assault on a federal officer) as well as inquiries into vandalism and theft involving FBI vehicles.
Why Agents May Be Needed
Federal immigration personnel have surged in the Minneapolis area in the wake of the shooting, and protesters and residents have clashed with enforcement officers. Local accounts describe a large influx—reported by officials as roughly 3,000 federal immigration officers—operating in unmarked cars, near stores, and conducting door‑to‑door activity. The volume of activity has created additional investigative and logistical needs for federal agencies.
Local And National Reaction
Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have urged ICE to withdraw. Residents have called the deployment an "invasion," and the presence has intensified community unrest. At the national level, President Donald Trump last week threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to the protests, calling some demonstrators "professional agitators and insurrectionists."
Current Status
The outreach to FBI agents is voluntary, and sources say the response so far has been minimal—there has not been a mass relocation of agents to Minneapolis. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the request.
Reporting note: The outreach was first reported by Bloomberg and confirmed to NBC News by a law enforcement official familiar with the messages and another source who reviewed the requests.
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