On Jan. 12, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their alleged use of excessive force and dangerous tactics when conducting arrest. In the lawsuit, he claimed that the organization has “conducted militarized raids” and carried out “dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional stops and arrests” in the Twin Cities. Ellison alleges that while they operate “under the guise of lawful immigration enforcement,” DHS agents have used “excessive force” and are “spreading terror” to those in the area.
The lawsuit came after the people of Minnesota hosted large protests in response to the heightened presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, whose tactics the public often perceived as violent. These protests were further fueled by the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a Minnesota-born woman who was killed by an ICE agent in her car on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis.
Following Good’s death, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that the agent acted in self-defense, alleging that Good attempted to run over the agent with her vehicle —- an act Noem described as “domestic terrorism.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to Noem’s claims stating, “they are already trying to spin this as an action of self defense — having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bulls–t.” Frey proceeded to tell ICE officials to “Get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
Minnesota has seen a heightened presence of ICE agents since late December 2025. DHS attributes this heavy presence to a government operation called Operation Metro Surge. Since the beginning of the operation, approximately 2,000 ICE agents have been deployed to Minnesota. DHS claimed in a statement, “During Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, ICE has arrested more than 400 illegal aliens including pedophiles, rapists, and violent thugs.”
Some Minnesota locals have taken to the streets to make clear that they do not welcome ICE in the state, with protesters using the slogan “ICE out!” and throwing snowballs at ICE vehicles. Students at Roosevelt High also expressed their views on ICE by staging a walkout in response to an incident that occurred the same day Good was killed, when federal agents entered school property during dismissal, tackled people and allegedly used chemical weapons against students and faculty.
The Minnesota public again questioned ICE’s usage of chemical weapons after an incident on Jan. 14, when Destiny Jackson and her family got caught in the middle of a protest on their way home. Jackson claimed that they were blocked by protestors and federal agents and were unable to safely move out of the situation. When her husband tried to back the vehicle, she instructed him not to because she was afraid of accidentally hitting one of the agents.
Jackson said in an interview, “We’ve seen what happened to Renee (Good).” A tear gas canister was thrown by an agent and ended up under Jackson’s car, forcing her family of six out. Jackson’s six-month-old baby was the last to be removed from the car. Jackson stated that the baby was not breathing and she had to perform mouth-to-mouth. The 6-month-old survived the incident and was treated by first responders.
DHS, in a now deleted post referencing the situation, stated, “It is horrific to see radical agitators bring children to their violent riots. PLEASE STOP ENDANGERING YOUR CHILDREN.” DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated the post was taken down because “the people were victims of the rioters but didn’t bring their kids to the riot.”
