MINNESOTA SEES RISING TENSIONS AS PROTESTERS AND FEDERAL AGENTS CLASH REPEATEDLY. (PHOTO).

 Minnesota sees rising tensions as protesters and federal agents clash repeatedly

 Tensions in Minnesota remained high on Tuesday following days of protests against federal immigration enforcement, a day after authorities used tear gas to disperse crowds and state and local officials filed a lawsuit challenging the surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman.

On Monday, confrontations erupted across the state. In Minneapolis, federal agents fired tear gas at crowds gathering around officers questioning a man. Meanwhile, hundreds protested in St. Cloud outside Somali-owned businesses after ICE officers arrived. Later, demonstrators clashed with officers guarding a federal building used as a base for the enforcement operation. With the Department of Homeland Security planning to deploy more than 2,000 officers—the largest such operation in Minnesota’s history—state officials, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, filed suit against the Trump administration. The lawsuit argues the operation violates constitutional protections, including First Amendment rights, and targets a progressive state that welcomes immigrants. Attorney General Keith Ellison called the enforcement “a federal invasion of the Twin Cities” that must end.

Since early December, DHS says it has made over 2,000 arrests in Minnesota. Dozens of protests and vigils have honored Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was shot in the head by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, have sharply criticized the shooting, disputing the administration’s claim that Good posed a threat. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the operation, saying the Trump administration’s priority is enforcing the law regardless of local officials’ positions.

Meanwhile, Congress saw new activity as two Democratic lawmakers from Massachusetts introduced a bill aimed at making it easier to sue federal law enforcement officers accused of civil rights violations, though passage in the Republican-controlled chamber is unlikely. Minnesota’s lawsuit follows similar legal action in Illinois, where officials are challenging a past ICE operation that arrested more than 4,300 people and allegedly instilled fear in residents. DHS labeled that lawsuit “baseless.”

Elsewhere, in Portland, Oregon, federal authorities charged a Venezuelan national who, along with a woman, was shot by U.S. Border Patrol officers after allegedly striking a patrol vehicle with a pickup truck. Both sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Unlike the Minneapolis case, officials say no video of the Portland incident exists.