Anti-ICE Protesters Force Far-Right Group To Retreat At Minneapolis Rally

Hundreds of anti-ICE demonstrators in Minneapolis forced a small group of far-right activists to abandon a planned march in a neighbourhood with a large immigrant population on Saturday, amid heightened tensions following the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent earlier this month.

According to Reuters, the anti-ICE protesters gathered near City Hall, waving placards and chanting slogans calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents to leave the city. Within minutes, scores of demonstrators moved forward and pushed about 10 far-right activists back against the exterior of the municipal government centre. Some protesters threw water balloons that soaked the right-wing group, despite temperatures plunging to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius) with wind chill.

Police largely kept their distance as the rival demonstrations unfolded. About an hour after the rallies began, the small group of right-wing activists retreated several blocks to a nearby hotel, pursued by hundreds of anti-ICE protesters shouting obscenities and ordering them to leave Minneapolis. A few scuffles occurred, though Reuters reported it did not witness any serious violence.

The far-right rally was organised by Jake Lang, an online influencer who was among more than 1,500 people pardoned by President Donald Trump for convictions linked to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Lang described the event as an “anti-fraud” rally, but at no point was his voice audible to the larger crowd, Reuters reported.

Later, Lang posted on X that he had been stabbed during a scuffle, claiming his protective vest prevented injury. Minneapolis police told Reuters in an email that they were aware of Lang’s social media post but had received no official report of a stabbing or injuries linked to the protests. Police said camera feeds showed some individuals who appeared to be injured, but those people left before officers could make contact.

The anti-ICE demonstration was organised by the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump. President Trump has repeatedly cited a scandal involving the theft of federal funds intended for social welfare programmes in Minnesota as justification for deploying thousands of immigration enforcement agents to the state. The president and senior officials have frequently singled out Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community.

"We're here to support our Somali neighbours; they asked for their white allies to show up for them," said Laura, 56, who declined to give her surname, as did other protesters interviewed, citing fear of federal retaliation. "I'm here to exercise my First Amendment right because my neighbours can't, they're too afraid to leave their house."

Lang, who has previously made anti-Muslim and antisemitic remarks, has said he wants to secure the United States for white Christians. He has appeared at small pro-ICE rallies in Minneapolis in recent days and has targeted Somali immigrants, most of whom are Muslim, Reuters reported.

Roughly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents have been deployed to Minneapolis and St. Paul in recent weeks. Tensions escalated after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, when she drove away after being ordered to exit her vehicle. The agent who fired the shot was positioned in front of her car on the left. The Department of Homeland Security said the officer was struck by the vehicle and feared for his life, though video footage shows the agent remaining on his feet, raising questions about the level of contact.

According to PTI, reported Reuters, the incident has deepened a political rift between Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and the Trump administration. The U.S. Justice Department has since opened an investigation into Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

(With inputs from Reuters)