What Minnesota leaders are saying to ICE protesters
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Federal agents fire tear gas and pepper balls at demonstrators in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14 as protests intensify. Photo: Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Minnesota officials are urging protesters to keep demonstrating against President Trump's ICE operations even as Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and bring the military to the city.
Why it matters: Minnesota has emerged as a hotspot with widespread protests following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent.
- The Minnesota protests are just one example of nationwide backlash to Trump's immigration crackdown.
- Despite Trump's threat, local leaders are calling for calm but haven't encouraged protesters to give up their cause, just encouraged them to protest peacefully and with cameras rolling.
Here's what officials are saying.
Walz: Stay peaceful, but keep filming
Driving the news: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged Minnesotans in a video Thursday to "protest loudly, urgently, but also peacefully" against ICE.
- He called on protesters to help "establish a record of exactly what's happening in our communities."
- "You have an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents as they conduct these activities," he said. "So carry your phone with you at all times, and if you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record."
Ellison: Submit your videos
Context: The Minnesota Attorney General's Office called for protesters to submit videos — which has become a central tool for protesters seeking accountability from federal agents — through an online portal.
- "My team and I will use these stories and experiences to assist in our ongoing fight to end the federal surge in Minnesota and the chaos, pain, and violence it has caused," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a news release.
Frey: Don't take the bait
What they're saying: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has become one of the most outspoken critics of ICE enforcement in Minnesota.
- At a press conference Wednesday, Frey encouraged protesters to avoid "stop taking the bait" from ICE officers if they are confrontational.
- "You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city. You are not helping the people that call this place home," he said.
Local leaders: Help your neighbor
Zoom in: Some local officials are joining street patrols, sharing updates and organizing mutual aid to help immigrants pay their rent and stay safe.
- "Thank you for showing up for immigrant neighbors, for what's just, and for each other," Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury wrote on Bluesky.
The legal fight ahead
What's next: The Minnesota House of Representatives introduced a bill to give people a pathway for when their constitutional rights are violated in response to the ICE operations and protests.
- "Creating a right of action gives victims a basic right, to seek remedy in the judicial system and the judgment of their peers," state Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) said in a news release.
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