A US federal judge has issued an order limiting crowd control tactics that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can use against “peaceful and non-obstructive” protesters in Minneapolis.
Judge Katherine Menendez ruled Friday evening that federal agents cannot arrest or pepper-spray peaceful protesters, including those who monitor and observe ICE agents.
The decision comes ahead of planned weekend protests against widespread anti-immigration action in the city and follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier this month.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it was taking steps to protect officers from rioters.
Minnesota officials on Friday urged protesters expected to take to the streets this weekend to remain orderly and peaceful.
The state National Guard was placed on alert and other law enforcement officers were deployed ahead of expected anti-ICE protests and a planned counter-march by a conservative influencer.
Judge Menendez’s 83-page order prohibits federal agents from arresting and “using pepper spray or similar non-lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against persons engaged in peaceful, non-obstructive protest activities.”
The ruling, which stems from a lawsuit filed by a group of protesters in December, also limits officers’ right to “arrest or detain drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable and explicit suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering” with their work.
“Following safely [immigration agents] at an appropriate distance does not, in itself, create reasonable suspicion justifying stopping the vehicle,” it says.
In a statement to CBS, the BBC’s US partner, in response to the order, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency was “taking appropriate and constitutional action to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
The White House also criticized the decision.
“This absurd decision embraces a dishonest left-wing narrative,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Politico. “Here is the truth: Federal agents acted lawfully to protect themselves and ensure the integrity of their operations when individuals attempted to intervene.”
Minneapolis has been on edge since the Good shooting on January 7, with demonstrations throughout the city.
Clashes have occurred between protesters and federal agents over the past week.
On Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard posted on X that its troops “are on standby, ready to assist local law enforcement and public safety agencies.”
The post adds that National Guard troops will wear high-visibility yellow vests “to distinguish them from other agencies wearing similar uniforms.”
Additionally, on Friday, the Department of Justice announced that it was investigating two of the state’s top Democrats — Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — for alleged attempts to obstruct federal immigration operations.
Both condemned ICE operations in the city.
“A reminder to all Minnesotans: No one is above the law,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an online statement.
The investigation was criticized by Walz and Frey.
“Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said in a statement.
