Reuters reviewed an internal ICE memo directing officers in Minnesota not to engage with "agitators" and to limit arrests to immigrants with a prior criminal nexus. The guidance requires officers to verbalize each step of arrests and equips them with megaphones, while shifting Border Patrol into a supporting role under Tom Homan. The orders come after two recent fatal shootings involving federal immigration officers and leave some procedural details unspecified.
Exclusive: ICE Told Not To Engage 'Agitators' In Minnesota — Orders Narrow Targets To Those With Criminal Histories
Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conduct an immigration enforcement operation in Pine Grove, Minnesota, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Internal guidance reviewed by Reuters shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers operating in Minnesota were instructed not to engage with so-called "agitators" and to limit arrests to immigrants with a prior criminal nexus as part of a revised enforcement approach.
Signs opposing federal immigration enforcement actions hang in a neighborhood, after the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The memo, circulated Wednesday by Marcos Charles, head of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations, directs officers to avoid communicating with bystanders who could inflame crowds and to issue only commands when necessary. "DO NOT COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE WITH AGITATORS," reads the email. "It serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation. No one is going to convince the other. The only communication should be the officers issuing commands."
Demonstrators shout against the presence of federal immigration agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Operational Changes And Equipment
The guidance says officers will be issued megaphones and must "verbalize every step of the arrest process." It also permits license-plate checks to help identify potential targets and directs officers to arrest a registered owner if that individual has a qualifying criminal history. The memo emphasizes that targets must have a criminal nexus, including arrests as well as convictions.
A card with images depicting Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents trying to detain him on January 24, and Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7, is placed at a makeshift memorial at the site where Pretti was fatally shot, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Seth Herald
Chain Of Command And Roles
President Donald Trump assigned border czar Tom Homan to oversee Minnesota operations, signaling a shift to a more "targeted" enforcement posture. Border Patrol will play a support role in the operation, reversing months of confrontational street-level sweeps led by Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who was reportedly demoted and is expected to retire.
Context And Unanswered Questions
The operational pivot follows two fatal shootings in Minneapolis involving federal immigration officers earlier this month. In both incidents, administration officials initially characterized the deceased as aggressors; video evidence raised questions about those accounts. A White House official told Reuters: "There are ongoing conversations on how to most effectively conduct operations in Minnesota. No guidance should be considered final until it is officially issued."
The memo does not specify which actions will trigger officers to issue commands or the precise procedures to follow if commands are ignored, leaving some procedural details unclear.
Reporting: Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Ted Hesson in Washington. Editing by Paul Thomasch and Edmund Klamann.
Help us improve.
