ICE presence grows as Minneapolis grapples with fallout of fatal shooting

Five days after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in south Minneapolis, federal immigration enforcement is expanding and becoming more visible, protests and confrontations continue to punctuate daily life, and local leaders are locked in an escalating battle with Washington over accountability and authority.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this past weekend that “hundreds more” ICE and Border Patrol officers are being sent to Minnesota, adding to what the department describes as its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation, even as state prosecutors push to preserve evidence and Minneapolis officials press for transparency in the investigation into Good’s death.

In the days since Wednesday’s shooting, demonstrations have unfolded across the city — from vigils and marches to tense protests that spilled into clashes with law enforcement. Activists tracking federal activity through community networks and Signal chats reported frequent sightings of ICE and Border Patrol officers in neighborhoods, downtown and near federal buildings.

Rather than winding down after the fatal shooting, federal officials have signaled that immigration enforcement in Minnesota is accelerating.

Noem said additional ICE and Border Patrol officers began arriving over the weekend. Federal authorities have said the added personnel are necessary to continue arrests and operations as protests persist and observers monitor agent activity across the Twin Cities.

Local leaders have warned that the expanding federal footprint is intensifying tensions rather than restoring order, particularly as details surrounding Good’s death remain under investigation.

The days following the shooting have been marked by near-daily demonstrations — some solemn, others volatile — as the unrest has spread beyond protest sites and into schools and neighborhoods.

The disruption has also reached into Minneapolis classrooms. On Wednesday, hours after the shooting, Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes district-wide for the remainder of the week, citing safety concerns and acting “out of an abundance of caution.”

The decision followed a chaotic encounter at Roosevelt High School during dismissal, where school officials said armed Border Patrol officers came onto school property, tackled people, handcuffed two staff members and deployed chemical agents on bystanders. Federal authorities have said officers were pursuing a suspect and that students were not the target.

In the days since, students have organized walkouts at Roosevelt and other schools, while parents and educators have voiced concern about the presence of federal law enforcement near campuses. The district resumed in-person classes Monday, offering families the option of remote learning through mid-February as tensions remain high.

As protests continue on the streets, a parallel fight is unfolding over the investigation itself.

After the FBI removed the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from what had initially been a joint inquiry, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced an independent state review aimed at preserving evidence tied to the shooting.

Federal officials have rejected that framing, insisting Minnesota lacks jurisdiction in the case and defending the actions of the ICE agent involved. Noem and other Homeland Security leaders have publicly characterized the shooting as justified, a stance Minneapolis and state leaders say is premature and contradicted by video evidence.

Concerns over enforcement have spread well beyond the immediate protest movement.

American Indian leaders say tribal members — who are U.S. citizens — have been detained by ICE in recent days, prompting attorneys for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and others to work to locate those taken into custody. But Native leaders say those cases are not isolated. Civil rights advocates and community organizers report that other U.S. citizens not affiliated with tribal nations have also been questioned or detained amid the surge, heightening fears that aggressive enforcement tactics are sweeping broadly and indiscriminately.

The reports have intensified anxiety across communities of color and among longtime residents who say legal status, citizenship and deep ties to Minnesota no longer feel like reliable safeguards against federal scrutiny. Local leaders warn the pattern risks eroding trust not only in federal authorities but across the broader law enforcement ecosystem.

The political divide has widened alongside those concerns, playing out on national television and in Congress. Minnesota Democrats have called for an independent investigation and criticized federal officials for shaping the public narrative before investigators have completed their work. Republicans have accused local leaders of inflaming tensions and failing to rein in unrest.

No timeline has been given for when investigators will release their findings, when the medical examiner will disclose the cause and manner of Good’s death, or how long the federal surge will last. No charging decisions have been announced, and federal officials have given no indication that enforcement activity will scale back.