Federal Judge Restricts ICE Actions As National Guard Goes On Standby Amid Minnesota Unrest

A federal judge on Friday imposed new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota, ordering agents to scale back their tactics against demonstrators as protests continue to roil Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE officer earlier this month.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that ICE officers may not retaliate against, arrest, or detain “persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity,” amid escalating confrontations between federal agents and protesters.

The order also bars officers from using pepper spray “or similar nonlethal munitions” on demonstrators and prohibits them from stopping or detaining drivers and passengers unless there is “reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with Covered Federal Agents.”

Menendez acted after six people filed a lawsuit in December alleging ICE officers “subjected them to the use of chemical irritants, intimidation, including by pointing firearms at them, detention, and arrest, in violation of their First and Fourth Amendment rights.”

One of the plaintiffs, Somali-American and U.S. citizen Abdikadir Noor, told the court that he pulled over after seeing masked ICE officers in plain clothes stop another vehicle “occupied by two Latinos.” Noor said he joined others in protesting the stop, during which officers grabbed demonstrators and dragged a pregnant woman to the ground before turning their attention to him.

Noor testified that he was arrested and placed in a vehicle traveling “about 85 miles per hour,” preventing him from fastening a seatbelt. He said officers examined his passport and that he overheard remarks including, “[T]hey all come here fraudulently. 50% are here fraudulently”; “Somalis drained Minnesota”; and “Somalis should go back home.” Noor said he was detained but released without charges or paperwork.

The judge cited additional reports describing ICE efforts to discourage protests, including allegations that officers pointed weapons at demonstrators, used pepper spray, and threw people to the ground before detaining them.

Menendez requested sworn declarations from David Easterwood, the acting field office director for ICE’s St. Paul office, but said the statements he provided “are entitled to considerably less weight than Plaintiffs’ declarations.”

The lawsuit predates the Jan. 7 shooting death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good by an ICE officer, an incident that sparked widespread protests in the Twin Cities and beyond. The Trump administration defended the officer involved and labeled Good a “domestic terrorism” threat, claiming she attempted to run Russ over with her SUV.

As unrest intensified, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz placed the Minnesota National Guard on standby Saturday evening, authorizing troops to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies if needed. The Guard said its members are prepared to assist but have not yet been deployed to city streets.

“Members of the Minnesota National Guard are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies,” the Guard said in a post on X. Officials added that if activated, troops would wear reflective safety vests “to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.”

Photos circulating on social media showed guardsmen lining up Humvees and preparing equipment, as authorities braced for further unrest after weeks of volatile protests that have damaged federal vehicles and government property.

State officials said the Guard’s mission, if activated, would focus on “protection of life, preservation of property and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully.”

The violence has not been limited to clashes with federal agents. On Saturday, left-wing protesters allegedly attacked and stabbed Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and Florida state Senate candidate, after his “March Against Fraud” demonstration encountered violent opposition in Minneapolis. Video from the scene showed Lang, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, shouting into a microphone before the assault.

The disorder has drawn a forceful response from Washington. President Donald Trump warned Thursday that he may invoke the Insurrection Act if local and state officials fail to restore order, a move that would allow the federal government to deploy military forces or federalize National Guard units despite objections from state leaders.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of a criminal investigation related to the unrest. Walz called the subpoenas “an authoritarian tactic,” while Frey said they were an “obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.”

Additional incidents have further inflamed tensions. In one case, a Venezuelan migrant was shot in the leg by a federal immigration enforcement officer after the Department of Homeland Security said the officer was attacked by two people during an arrest. Both the migrant and the officer were hospitalized, and two suspects were detained.

ICE has also been accused of detaining four Oglala Sioux tribal members in Minneapolis this week. One individual was released, while three remain in custody. Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out said the individuals were homeless and detained beneath a bridge, though DHS said it could not “verify any claims” that the tribal members were arrested.