Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is dramatically escalating the federal presence in Minneapolis, as per The Guardian. She pledged to send “hundreds more” agents to carry out what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling its largest enforcement operation ever.
This massive deployment comes even as President Trump’s administration pushes a highly contested narrative regarding the fatal shooting that sparked the ongoing unrest. Administration officials have baselessly accused the victim, Renee Good, of being a “domestic terrorist,” and President Trump himself claimed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was “run over,” despite clear video evidence proving that wasn’t true.
The widespread fury centers entirely around the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last Wednesday while she was driving away in her car. As the federal door-to-door raids began, local residents and protesters tried to disrupt operations in one neighborhood filled with single-family homes, screaming at heavily armed federal agents, honking horns, and banging drums.
The grassroots efforts show just how deeply the community distrusts the federal operation
The confrontations quickly turned physical. Some people were hit with chemical spray right before agents forced entry into one home and later took a man away in handcuffs. Officials reported that 30 people had already been arrested during protests, and one police officer was injured after a chunk of ice was thrown. Mayor Jacob Frey, however, stressed that the “vast majority of community members have demonstrated peacefully.”
The tension has become so severe that Twin Cities officials are preparing for things to get worse. Minneapolis public schools are taking the necessary precaution of shifting to remote learning for the next month because of concerns that children and parents might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high. Many schools had already closed last week following Good’s shooting and the resulting upheaval.
Mayor Frey has been visibly impassioned about the situation, telling ICE officers to leave the city. He also criticized the Trump administration’s decision to refuse to allow state investigators to assist the FBI’s investigation. Speaking to a national news program, Frey accused the administration of being “so quick to jump on a narrative as opposed to the truth.”
Despite the local outrage, the video evidence, and the mayor’s pleas, Secretary Noem reiterated the administration’s stance. She stated, “We’re sending more officers today and tomorrow. There will be hundreds more in order to allow our ICE and our border patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.”
Good’s death has energized protests far beyond Minnesota, with thousands taking to the streets across the US this past weekend to express their outrage. Demonstrators, who are also reacting to other recent shootings involving federal immigration enforcement, stopped traffic and marched en masse in major metropolitan areas. In Los Angeles, protesters gathered outside federal buildings downtown and faced a dispersal order from local police.
Large crowds also turned out across California’s Bay Area, including Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco. Meanwhile, about 1,000 demonstrators assembled in Salt Lake City, circling Washington Square Park while police halted traffic.
Published: Jan 12, 2026 12:30 pm