A U.S. federal judge has issued an order restricting the crowd control measures that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can employ against “peaceful and unobstructive” protestors in Minneapolis.
Judge Katherine Menendez’s ruling, issued Friday night, prohibits federal agents from arresting or using pepper spray against peaceful demonstrators, including those monitoring and observing ICE activities.
The ruling precedes planned weekend protests against immigration enforcement actions in the city and follows the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier this month.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stated it is taking measures to protect officers from potential unrest.
On Friday, Minnesota officials urged demonstrators expected to gather this weekend to maintain order and peace.
The state’s National Guard has been placed on alert, and additional law enforcement officers have been deployed in anticipation of both anti-ICE demonstrations and a planned counter-protest organized by a conservative figure.
Judge Menendez’s 83-page order restricts federal agents from arresting and “using pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity.”
The ruling, resulting from a lawsuit filed by a group of protesters in December, also limits agents from “stopping or detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles where there is no reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering” with their operations.
“The act of safely following [immigration agents] at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the order states.
In a statement to CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded to the order, saying the agency “is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
The White House has also criticized the ruling.
“This absurd ruling embraces a dishonest, left-wing narrative,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Politico. “Here’s the truth: federal agents have acted lawfully to protect themselves and ensure the integrity of their operations when individuals attempt to intervene.”
Tensions have been high in Minneapolis since the January 7 shooting of Renee Good, with protests occurring across the city.
Reports of clashes between protesters and federal officers have surfaced over the past week.
On Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard stated on X that troops “are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies.”
The post added that National Guard troops will wear high-visibility yellow vests “to help distinguish them from other agencies in similar uniforms.”
Also on Friday, the Justice Department announced an investigation into two of the state’s leading Democrats – Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – over alleged attempts to impede federal immigration operations.
Both have publicly condemned the ICE operations in the city.
“A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated online.
Walz and Frey have criticized the investigation.
“Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz stated.
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