Tensions continued over the weekend in Minneapolis, as protesters clashed in the streets with law enforcement, following the second shooting there in about a week involving a federal officer.
The Department of Homeland Security said that on Wednesday, a federal law enforcement officer shot a person, who they say had fled a traffic stop and then, along with two other people, began attacking the officer.
That incident followed the fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on Jan. 7. DHS officials said Good was allegedly attempting to run over law enforcement officers when an ICE officer fatally shot her — a claim that local officials have disputed.
Vance meets with Minnesota AG on immigration enforcement, protests
Vice President JD Vance met with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for a “frank and productive discussion” about immigration enforcement and related protests during Vance’s visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the meeting confirmed to ABC News.
The source also confirmed that Vance did not meet with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Oversight Committee expands Minnesota fraud investigation
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has expanded his panel’s investigation into alleged fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs — requesting documents from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and a transcribed interview on Jan. 30 from the department’s commissioner, Shireen Gandhi.
Comer previously requested Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to testify on Feb. 10, 2026. It’s unclear if the two Minnesota officials will appear.
The committee held its first hearing on fraud in Minnesota earlier this month.
Person ICE was allegedly looking for before detaining US citizen is already in prison
One of the two men DHS claimed they were looking for when they erroneously detained a U.S. citizen in St. Paul on Sunday was incarcerated all along, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Corrections told ABC News.
DHS briefly detained ChongLy Thao, claiming that they were looking for Lue Moua and Kongmeng Vang, who they said Thao lived with. Thao’s family has denied those claims.
The Minnesota DOC spokesperson said Moua has been serving a sentence at a facility in Faribault, Minnesota, since 2024 for kidnapping. The spokesperson also said ICE had lodged a detainer for him. A detainer is a request for a facility to hold a prisoner until ICE can take custody of the individual after they complete a sentence.
Moua is scheduled for release in 2027.
Federal agents apprehended Thao and brought him outside in freezing temperatures in his underwear, in a video that has gone viral and inspired protests across the region.
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin appeared to blame a lack of engagement from state and local law enforcement agencies for the mix-up.
“This is exactly what we have been saying: we need state and local law enforcement engagement and information so we don’t have to have such a presence on the streets. If we work together, we can make America safe again,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin also claimed ICE has lodged a detainer but did not say when.
Minneapolis mayor blasts JD Vance, calls federal response harmful and excessive
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Thursday he agrees with Vice President JD Vance on the need for peaceful protests and public safety, but sharply criticized the federal government’s current response in the city, calling it excessive, poorly coordinated and harmful to residents who have done nothing wrong.
He said he welcomes any message that encourages calm demonstrations and public order. However, he said the vice president’s comments overlook what is actually happening on the ground in Minneapolis. The mayor said the city has been dealing with unrest and safety concerns for weeks.
The mayor said he agrees with calls to send federal agents home and noted that city leaders have been making that request for weeks. He said the presence of more than 3,000 federal immigration and border agents in Minneapolis has no clear plan and feels like an occupation in a city that is far smaller than New York or Los Angeles.
According to the mayor, the situation has worsened because agents are arresting U.S. citizens, detaining people without cause and stopping residents based largely on how they look. He said people have been detained on their way to work, while dropping off children or even while off duty from law enforcement jobs. He said these actions amount to constitutional violations happening in real time.
Military lawyers dispatched to Minneapolis, Memphis
The Pentagon said it is dispatching 25 military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist federal prosecutors, the latest step in a broader push to place military attorneys in civilian courtrooms.
The deployment follows the assignment of 20 military lawyers to Memphis, Tennessee, in recent weeks. Another 20 were detailed to Washington, D.C., in August.
“The Department of War is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement and Department of Justice partners,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.
When military lawyers are assigned to assist federal prosecutors, they serve as special assistant United States attorneys, known as SAUSAs. In that role, they are authorized to perform much of the same work as career federal prosecutors, including questioning witnesses and arguing cases in court, three military attorneys and two U.S. officials told ABC News.
The assignments are voluntary. Before beginning the work, the lawyers undergo training at the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina, a Justice Department facility, where they receive up to a three-week crash course introduction to civilian legal practice, including courtroom procedure, mock trials and administrative requirements, according to two U.S. officials.
The program has existed largely unchanged since the 1960s, when it was used during the Vietnam War to allow military lawyers to assist civilian authorities, particularly in cases involving deserters. Historically, it has been used sparingly, with U.S. attorneys’ offices sometimes supplemented by one or two military lawyers at a time, and has largely been viewed as a fellowship-style opportunity rather than a large-scale staffing solution.
“To my knowledge, this has never been done at this scale before,” Michael Dunavant, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, said in an interview with ABC News.
The lawyers do not wear uniforms while serving in the role. Though they continue to be paid by the military, they function as civilian prosecutors, effectively on loan to the Justice Department.
Vance defends detention of 5-year-old
Asked about the detention of a 5-year-old by federal agents earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance defended the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, saying he is “proud of the fact that we are enforcing the country’s laws.”
Vance said he looked into the case and found that “the 5-year-old was not arrested, that his dad was an illegal alien and when they went to arrest his illegal alien father, the father ran,” Vance told reporters Thursday.
“So the story is that ICE detained a 5-year-old, well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a 5-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?” the vice president said.
Vance argued that having cooperation between local and federal officials would bring down the chaos.
“If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who break laws because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement. That doesn’t make any sense,” Vance said.
3rd person arrested in church protest
A third person was arrested in the case of the disruption of church services in St. Paul, according to the Justice Department.
“William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots,” Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X alongside a photo of him.
He, along with two others, were charged with disrupting church services in St. Paul over objections that of the leaders was a local ICE leader.
DHS releasing ‘inaccurate and misleading’ information on people with ICE detainers in custody, Minnesota official says
The Department of Homeland Security is releasing “inaccurate and misleading” information with regards to the number of people with ICE detainers in county and state prisons, Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said Thursday.
“This is no longer a simple misunderstanding. At best, DHS fundamentally misunderstands Minnesota’s correctional system. At a minimum, this reflects systemic data management inadequacies or incompetence as it relates to DHS tracking of detainers in custody. At worst, it is pure propaganda; numbers released without evidence to stoke fear rather than inform the public,” Schnell said.
Schnell said that there are 94 people with ICE detainers in county jails in the state. There are 207 people with detainers in state prisons, for a total of 301 people.
“The DHS has repeatedly claimed that there are more than 1,360 individuals with ICE detainers in Minnesota custody. Despite requests, DHS has provided no data, no data source, no tracking methodology, no jurisdictional breakdown, and no time frame explaining how their numbers were produced,” Schnell said.
“We need to align facts and the operational realities before we can solve whatever problem they think exists. This should not be controversial,” Schnell said.
2nd arrest made following protest at church
A second arrest related to the church incident has been made, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
“Chauntyll Louisa Allen is now in custody, also on an alleged violation of the FACE Act – after targeting Cities Church in Minneapolis last weekend,” Patel said in a post on X.
Civil rights attorney, activist arrested in Minnesota after church protest
FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested civil rights attorney and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, “who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X Thursday.
“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” Bondi added.
Armstrong told ABC News that she, along with others, organized a protest at a Twin Cities Southern Baptist church on Sunday to call attention to one of its pastors, David Easterwood, whose role as a local acting ICE field office director in St. Paul, Minnesota, they condemn.
President Donald Trump criticized the church protest and launched an investigation into it, calling it a “church raid” led by “agitators and insurrectionists.”
Armstrong pushed back on Trump’s comments and said she was ready to have a dialogue with Easterwood or other church leadership after interrupting the service.
Law firm representing Renee Good’s family releases findings from independent autopsy
A law firm representing the family of Renee Good has released the preliminary findings of an independent autopsy into the death of the 37-year-old who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.
The Department of Homeland Security said the agent opened fire after Good tried to ram officers with her vehicle.
Good suffered three “gunshot wound paths,” according to a summary of the findings from the Romanucci & Blandin law firm.
- One gunshot wound traversed the right breast without penetrating major internal organs
- One gunshot entered the left side of her head near the temple and exited the right side of her head
Good also suffered a superficial wound from being grazed by a bullet, according to the law firm.
The wounds to Good’s left forearm and breast were not immediately life-threatening, according to the autopsy, the law firm said.
The results of the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy have not yet been released to the family or legal team, the law firm said.
Additional US troops on standby for Minnesota: US officials
The Pentagon has placed hundreds of Army military police soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on alert for a potential deployment to Minnesota, according to two U.S. officials.
The preparations are tied to the possibility that President Donald Trump could invoke the Insurrection Act, a rarely used law that allows the president to deploy federal troops on American soil.
ABC News previously reported Saturday that roughly 1,500 active-duty soldiers from at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Alaska had been ordered to ready themselves for such a mission.
No specific mission to Minnesota has been developed, both U.S. officials said, adding that the purpose is to ensure the president has a range of options should he decide to deploy troops.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, a statute that has been used sparingly and most often during the civil rights era, when federal troops were deployed to suppress unrest and enforce school desegregation.
“I don’t think we need it at this point, and hopefully we won’t need it,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation on Tuesday.
Appeals court temporarily lifts restrictions on ICE’s use of force against protesters
An appeals court has temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that barred immigration agents from arresting protesters or using non-lethal weapons against them.
This is part of an ongoing case in Minnesota filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in December.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez had granted the ACLU’s request and ruled that federal agents deployed to the state under the operation are prohibited from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters “in retaliation for their protected conduct and absent a showing of probable cause or reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime or is obstructing or interfering with the activities.”
The order had also barred ICE and other federal agents from stopping drivers and passengers unless there’s reasonable suspicion that they’re obstructing federal enforcement activities.
Vice President JD Vance to travel to Minneapolis
Vice President JD Vance will travel to Minneapolis on Thursday for a roundtable with local leaders and community members, a source familiar with Vance’s visit confirmed to ABC News.
Bovino defends federal officers’ tactics in Minnesota
Commander-at-large Gregory Bovino defended the actions of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the ground in Minneapolis , and argued that the tactics they use are “born out of necessity” but they are “legal, ethical and moral.”
“Our operations are lawful. They’re targeted. They’re focused on individuals who pose a serious threat to this community. They are not random and they are not political,” Bovino said at a press conference on Tuesday alongside top ICE official Marcos Charles. “They are about removing criminals who are actively harming Minneapolis neighborhoods.”
Bovino said officers in Minneapolis “remain professional, focused, courteous and committed to the mission.”
Charles also provided an update on Jonathan Ross, the officer who fatally shot Renee Good, saying he was at home recovering, but did not offer more than that.
Walz reacts to grand jury subpoenas
Responding to the grand jury subpoenas of Minnesota Democratic officials, Gov. Tim Walz said the state invited President Donald Trump “to see our values in action,” calling the investigation “political theater” and a distraction.
“The State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theater. This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction,” Walz said.
“Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community… Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I,” Walz wrote.
Separately, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commented on X, saying, “When the federal gov [sic] weaponizes its power to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned.”
He added, “We shouldn’t live in a country where federal law enforcement is used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with. In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”
ICE will ‘make mistakes sometimes,’ Trump says
President Donald Trump called the death of Renee Good a “tragedy” saying it is a “horrible thing,” speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday.
“They’re going to make mistakes sometimes. ICE is going to be too rough with somebody or they’re dealing with rough people. They’re going to make a mistake. Sometimes, it can happen,” Trump said Tuesday.
“We feel terribly. I felt horribly when I was told that the young woman who was, had the tragedy … ICE would say the same thing,” he said.
Trump told reporters that Good’s father was “tremendous” Trump supporter.
“When I learned her parents, and her father in particular is — I hope he still is, but, I don’t know — was a tremendous Trump fan. It was awful … It’s so sad. It just happens. It’s terrible,” Trump said.
Grand jury subpoenas served to Gov. Walz, Mayor Frey
Grand jury subpoenas were served Tuesday to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, and Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty, according to officials.
The investigation centers around whether they have been obstructing federal law enforcement activities in the state, according to officials.
“It is a subpoena for records and documents, not for me personally,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement on Tuesday. “Everything about this is highly irregular, especially the fact that this comes shortly after my office sued the Trump Administration to challenge their illegal actions within Minnesota.”
Family disputes DHS’ explanation for detention of US citizen in St. Paul
Chongly Scott Thao, 56, was resting at his house in St. Paul on Sunday when federal agents forcibly entered, ordering him and his daughter-in-law to put their hands up, according to Thao’s sister-in-law, Louansee Moua.
The agents pointed their guns at Thao’s daughter-in-law and ignored the residents when they offered to produce an ID for Thao, according to Moua, who said Thao is a U.S. citizen of Laotian Hmong descent.
Instead, Moua said, the agents handcuffed Thao and brought him outside in the 10-degree weather, wearing only a pair of shoes, underwear and a blanket belonging to his 5-year-old grandson, who was crying inside.
They took him and drove him around for an hour before dropping him back off, Moua said.
On Monday, Homeland Security said in an online statement that agents were at the house in search of two sex offenders with removal orders from a judge. DHS claimed in their statement that Thao lived at the house with these men.
But Thao’s family said this is not true. Moua told ABC News that her brother-in-law has lived there for two years with only his son, daughter-in-law and 5-year-old grandson.
When asked for clarification regarding the family’s insistence that the two sex offenders being sought by the DHS agents did not live at that house, DHS sent ABC News a statement containing the names of the men the department said the agents were looking for: Lue Moua and Kongmeng Vang.
Thao’s sister-in-law said the family does not know these men and that they do not live there.
DOJ appealing order restricting ICE response
The Trump administration is appealing a judge’s decision that temporarily bars federal immigration agents from arresting lawful protesters and observers documenting immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota.
The Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.
