Thousands of people marched in Minneapolis on Saturday to protest shootings in Minnesota and Oregon involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Associated Press. The demonstrations came after the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Wednesday by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis and the shooting of two people in Portland, Oregon.
AP reported that the Minneapolis march was one of hundreds planned for towns and cities across the United States over the weekend. The protest unfolded in a city already on edge since the killing of Good, which AP described as the start of a week that intensified tensions around federal immigration enforcement.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent on Friday night. He said demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, and that one officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice. O’Hara also said 29 people were cited and released.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the city would arrest people who cause damage to property or put others in danger. He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds,” and urged demonstrators to avoid escalating confrontations during the protests, AP reported. Frey also said “This is what Donald Trump wants,” referring to the president’s demand for massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities, according to AP.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged demonstrators to remain calm, warning against chaos. Walz said on social media that “Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” and that Trump wants “nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.” Walz later posted that “We will fight with peaceful expression, in court, through public debate, and at the ballot box. Keep the peace. And keep the faith,” AP reported.
Protesters described fear of immigration enforcement as a motivation for attending. Meghan Moore, a mother of two from Minneapolis who joined the Saturday protest, said, “We’re all living in fear right now,” and added: “ICE is creating an environment where nobody feels safe and that’s unacceptable.” AP also reported Connor Maloney attended because he is frustrated by the immigration crackdown and said, “Almost daily I see them harassing people.”
Organizers led the Minneapolis demonstration from a park about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where Good was shot, AP reported. Protesters carried handmade signs with messages such as “De-ICE Minnesota!” and “ICE melts in Minnesota,” braving subfreezing temperatures and a light dusting of snow. AP said Steven Eubanks, 51, attended a protest in Durham, North Carolina, after what he called the “horrifying” killing in Minneapolis, and said, “We can’t allow it.”
AP reported that demonstrations nationwide followed the same day, with Indivisible saying hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states. The Minneapolis protest did not deter federal officers from continuing operations in the city, AP said. AP reported that a photographer witnessed heavily armed officers—including at least one in Border Patrol uniform—approach a person following them, order him to stop, and tell him it was his “first and final warning.” AP said the officers drove onto the interstate without detaining the driver.
In Minneapolis and nearby Richfield, AP reported confrontations and warnings involving federal agents. O’Hara said city police responded to calls about cars abandoned because drivers had been apprehended by immigration enforcement, and he said 911 callers had alerted authorities to ICE activity, arrests and abandoned vehicles. AP reported that the Trump administration has deployed thousands of federal officers to Minnesota as part of a sweeping crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents, and that more than 2,000 officers were taking part.
AP also reported political and legal fallout tied to ICE access. Three Minnesota congresswomen—Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig—attempted to tour an ICE facility in the Minneapolis federal building, were initially allowed to enter, and were told to leave about 10 minutes later. AP said the lawmakers accused ICE agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling oversight duties. AP noted that a federal judge last month temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies that limit congressional visits to immigration facilities.
This story has been updated to correct that the people shot in Portland were not protesters.
Associated Press writers Allen Breed in Durham, North Carolina, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed.