Anti-ICE protests escalated into chaos and widespread property damage as federal officials conducted an immigration enforcement operation that faced strong opposition from Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, and protestors.
Footage widely circulated on social media and confirmed by independent journalists shows large crowds smashing into parked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI vehicles abandoned on city streets as protesters grew increasingly destructive.
In several clips, rioters accessed secured storage areas, pulled out weapons lockers, and removed tactical gear and paperwork, some reportedly reading or filming the contents live, including names, addresses, and operational information.
Additional footage shows rioters using a tow rope and a vehicle to drag weapons lockers from federal vehicles, leaving scattered gear in the streets.
The violence followed an incident in which a federal immigration officer shot a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in the leg during an attempt to arrest him on Wednesday evening. Crowds grew in north Minneapolis following the incident.
When the officer caught up to the suspect, he “began to resist and violently assault the officer,” and while the two were in a struggle on the ground, two men came out of an apartment and “also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”
“As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick,” according to DHS, adding that the officer shot in defense as all three men began to beat him.
Federal agents have been deployed in one of the largest immigration enforcement operations in state history, amid the Trump administration's efforts to intensify immigration enforcement. Authorities are also investigating widespread social welfare fraud allegedly involving state officials and immigrant communities.
In response, the city and state have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the operation, arguing it amounts to an unlawful federal incursion.
Walz has continuously condemned ICE's presence in Minneapolis and, during a Wednesday night livestream, urged residents to record ICE activity on their phones. He also called on citizens to compile a database to facilitate potential future prosecutions of ICE officers.