MINNEAPOLIS — Thousands gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday to push back on the Trump administration’s deployment of federal forces after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman earlier this week.
People held signs with the face of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother who was shot in the head on Wednesday, while calling for ICE to get out of their city.
“Nobody should be taken off the streets,” Emily Sanderson, who was attending the demonstration, told The Canadian Press. “Nobody should be murdered in the streets. It’s irrational. It’s disgusting.”
The massive protest marked the latest demonstration that has gripped the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which have become the main target of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Daily protests have taken place since the fatal shooting, with local and state representatives calling for ICE to leave to allow tensions to lower.
The Trump administration has said the ICE officer was acting in self-defence and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem pledged that federal forces will stay in the state.
There are about 2,000 officers deployed in the area, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said is its largest immigration operation, and more are expected to arrive.
The size of Saturday’s rally did not deter federal forces, who were spotted not far away conducting identity checks.
Earlier Saturday morning, Minnesota Democrats said they were denied entry into the ICE processing facility in Minneapolis.
Rep. Angie Craig called the Trump administration “lawless.” She called ICE a “rogue agency” and said it’s inciting more violence in the community.
“They are not going to remove ICE from Minnesota unless Minnesotans reach out and get through to my Republican colleagues to help them understand they need to put pressure on this administration,” Craig told reporters outside the facility. “This should not be partisan.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American member who has repeatedly faced derogatory comments from President Donald Trump, posted on social media that members of Congress “have a legal right and constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight where people are being detained.”
“The public deserves to know what is taking place in ICE facilities,” Omar said.
At Saturday’s protest, residents said they felt caught up in a political battle. Ellen Hinck, a teacher who attended the rally, said it’s not surprising that Minnesota was targeted.
“The plan has been there. They are targeting blue states,” Hinck said. “They want to try and make us into what they want by using oppression. We are not going to let that happen.”
Minnesota was a political flashpoint before the shooting. Trump has made multiple verbal attacks on Gov. Tim Walz — former vice-president Kamala Harris’s 2024 running mate in the presidential race — and derogatory remarks toward the state’s Somali population.
Eli Wagar-Kustermann said he attended Saturday’s rally to show solidarity.
“We are Minnesota strong,” he said. “You will not break us. You cannot break us.”
Like many others who attended the large protest, he said it’s been unnerving seeing federal agents with their faces covered show up in parking lots and on residential streets. Before attending the rally, he took photos of ICE officers who he said were harassing people at a store.
“We are straight up under occupation,” Wagar-Kustermann said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2026.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
