What we covered here
• New wave of protests: Hundreds of Minnesota businesses were encouraged to close for the day ahead of a rally in Minneapolis protesting the Trump administration’s latest surge in its aggressive, nationwide immigration crackdown.
• Preschooler taken by ICE: A 5-year-old is one of the latest children caught up in the mass deportation campaign after he and his father were taken by federal agents outside their Minneapolis-area home. They were pursuing an asylum claim, their lawyer says.
• Church protest in focus: Two of the people who were arrested after denouncing federal immigration agents in a protest at a St. Paul church have been released from custody. Minneapolis’ Democratic mayor condemned one of the arrests, while the White House welcomed it.
• FBI agent resigns: The agent who initially began working to investigate the shooting of Renee Good, the mother of three killed by ICE, has resigned from the bureau, sources told CNN.
Our live coverage of the immigration crackdown has ended for the day. Please scroll through the updates below for all of Friday’s developments and read our coverage of the 5-year-old taken to a detention facility with his father and the arrests of protesters at a St. Paul church.
FBI agent resignation suggests "political reasons" for stopping shooting probe, Hennepin County official says
The resignation of an FBI agent who was originally working with Minnesota investigators on a probe into the fatal shooting on Renee Good is an indication that stopping the investigation may have been “for political reasons,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.
Soon after the agent opened the civil rights investigation, she was ordered to reclassify it as an investigation into an assault on the officer. The FBI blocked Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension from participating in the investigation.
“The only thing I can think of is that was for political reasons,” Moriarty said.
Moriarty’s office and the BCA are forging ahead, though, working to collect evidence in Good’s shooting.
The BCA has received “substantial” helpful information in that process and are interviewing witnesses, she said.
“Our hope is to gather all of the evidence that we think we can gather and then be able to make a decision about whether charges are appropriate or not and then announce that publicly with transparency,” Moriarty said.
“A 5-year-old child doesn’t commit any crime,” says uncle of preschooler taken by ICE
Luis Conejo holds back tears as he talks about his outrage at seeing the images showing how immigration agents took his brother and his nephew Liam, just five years old, earlier this week in Minneapolis.
“Just looking at the images is outrageous. It’s a shame to use a child in any way, in any culture, from any country. Using a child is the lowest thing you can do,” he said in an interview with CNN, which met him in northern Quito, the capital of Ecuador.
Liam’s parents had frequently sent messages in the family’s WhatsApp group chat saying they feared being detained — a fear realized earlier this week. “She calls us in shock, in total nervousness, unable to speak,” he says about the moment his sister-in-law told him about the detention of Adrián and Liam.
For Liam’s uncle, the authorities’ intention was to “use” the child to persuade the mother to open the door so they could detain her too. “It is something very, very sad. These are very powerful images that touch the heart, and this cannot happen anymore,” he says. ICE, meanwhile, stated it has never “used a child as bait.”
“It’s very hard what is happening to the family. It went viral so much. Everywhere there are images of Liam and many people feel identified because they have their children at home,” says the child’s uncle. He is also a father and says he feels powerless being far away and unable to do anything to help his family.
“We are very lucky that there were neighbors, that there were cameras and that videos and photographs were recorded. Imagine cases of children that didn’t have the same opportunity, and no one could say anything for them,” says Liam’s uncle.
He described his brother as “very hardworking” and said he works in masonry, painting jobs, and repairs of various kinds. The economic situation, insecurity, and unstable employment conditions in Ecuador led his brother and sister-in-law to leave their country “for a good life,” he states.
The Conejo family waits with uncertainty, hoping Adrián and Liam can return home soon.
“Liam is a very, very cheerful child. He is the most playful in the family,” says his uncle. “He’s here all the time, he’s here all the time,” he adds, as he points with his left hand first to his head, then to his heart.
Superintendent says there was disbelief after federal agents took elementary school student
When Superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools Zena Stenvik arrived at the house where a 5-year-old boy was taken from by ICE agents, she described a frantic scene.
She asked community members and other school officials already there where Liam Conejo Ramos, an elementary school student in her district, was. The car was still running in the driveway, she said.
“They said they took him, and everyone was in disbelief,” she said. “I immediately went to the side yard where the another adult who lives in the home was and talked with that person, and they told me that they talked to the agents and begged, begged them to let them take Liam.”
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed Liam’s mother “refused to accept custody of the child” and they were concerned about the boy’s “safety and welfare.”
Stenvik said these statements about DHS making attempts not to separate the family “doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Here in Minnesota, we’re used to the cold weather and we never let our children freeze to death. That would never, ever happen,” she said.
She said ICE agents have been seen driving around the schools and even following buses. The superintendent said there’s “no semblance of normalcy anymore” and “every week just keeps getting worse.”
Church protester describes being surveilled by federal agents before arrest
Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the protesters charged for participating in a St. Paul church protest, said she was being surveilled by FBI agents before her arrest despite her trying to turn herself in.
“They had me as well as some of the other organizers and protesters under surveillance,” she said while speaking with CNN’s Erin Burnett. “They treated us as if we were dangerous criminals, watching our movements.”
Her attorney reached out to the US Marshals office to see if there was an arrest warrant for her and was told there was not. The US Attorney’s office did not share any information on if there was a plan for an arrest, she said.
Because of that, she decided to stay in a hotel downtown so she could be close to the courthouse and make it easier to turn herself in. While she was staying there, her friend left the room and “an FBI agent stormed out of the room across the hall from me and chased her and slammed her to the ground,” Levy Armstrong said, adding she believes the agent thought it was her. She then called her attorney, who tried to arrange her turning herself in, but federal prosecutors would not allow it, she said.
“They treated this as if I was a fugitive on the run, that I had committed murder. And they’re doing all this, putting all these resources into tracking down one Black woman when they will put zero resources into holding Jonathan Ross accountable,” she said, referring to the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good.
She also responded to a court affidavit unsealed Friday, which gives the government’s account of what happened at the protest Sunday.
“I said what I said. We went into the church service. Anyone who saw the video saw that we were very peaceful,” she said, adding the descriptions of parishioners being scared did not match up with her experience but instead sounded like what ICE is doing to communities in the Twin Cities.
Principal of 5-year-old taken by ICE says mother was "distraught" after incident
Jason Kuhlman, the principal of the 5-year-old taken by federal agents, said he was one of the first people to arrive at the boy’s home after the incident earlier this week.
Inside the house, the mother of the preschooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, “was distraught,” Kuhlman told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
Federal agents took Liam from the driveway of his metro Minneapolis home Tuesday after returning from school, officials said.
In the minutes after it happened, Liam’s mother called the middle school and asked for their older son to be sent home. She said they were going to turn themselves in, Kuhlman said, adding she didn’t want their family to be broken up.
“She just she didn’t know what to do. The way she described it, Liam was pounding on the door and saying, ‘Mom, please let me in,’” Kuhlman said.
The mother didn’t answer the door because she knew she would also be detained, leaving the older son by himself, according to the principal.
The Department of Homeland Security has said the officers “made multiple attempts to get the mother inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her that they would NOT take her into custody. She refused to accept custody of the child.”
Kuhlman said he thinks it’s an incident of racial profiling. “We’ve had numerous parents picked up – just at my school alone, we’re looking at 19 or 20 families who had a mom or a dad taken,” he said.
The family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, said yesterday the boy’s father does not appear to have a criminal record in Minnesota.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Chris Boyette and Amanda Musa contributed reporting to this post.
FBI agent who investigated ICE officer shooting in Minneapolis has resigned
The FBI agent who initially began working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good has resigned from the bureau, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Soon after the agent opened the civil rights investigation, she was ordered to reclassify it as an investigation into an assault on the officer. The FBI blocked the BCA from participating in the investigation.
The New York Times first reported the resignation.
The agent’s resignation comes as the agency has undergone another purge of seasoned FBI agents across several states, multiple sources familiar with the departures told CNN. Some of the people who are being pushed out were confronted after the bureau conducted a review of an internal messaging system and discovered instances when they made negative comments about President Donald Trump, according to the people familiar.
Some of those comments go as far back as a decade, the sources said.
Newly released footage shows moment of Nekima Levy Armstrong's arrest
Video footage from the Racial Justice Network shows civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong’s interactions with authorities yesterday as she was being arrested after protesting at a St. Paul church against ICE activity in the Twin Cities on Sunday.
The video shows the former NAACP leader speaking with authorities about the terms of her arrest and shows her being escorted out of the building.
She was released from custody today after an order from a federal judge, her attorney told CNN.
The NAACP in a statement today said video footage of Levy Armstrong’s arrest “contradicts the false narrative being circulated by federal authorities.”
The video shows “Levy-Armstrong asserting her rights, de-escalating the situation, and requiring agents to provide her water and humane treatment,” the statement reads.
"Now is the time to fight back": Religious and community leaders call for ICE to leave Minnesota at rally
On a stage surrounded by a crowd of people, community leaders and activists spoke at a rally today of unity and resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown happening in Minneapolis.
People are packed into the seats of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ arena in Minneapolis. A DJ played music before the rally began and the crowd did the wave a few times, their energy rippling through the room.
A large white sign hanging across the front of the stage read: “WE SAY ICE OUT.”
The program began with several Indigenous leaders. Behind the podium was a sign that said: “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
The area of Fort Snelling encompasses the federal building where ICE operations are taking place. It is sacred land to the Dakota and is also known for its violent history toward Indigenous people.
“Now is the time to stand up. Now is the time to organize and to take action. Now is the time to fight back,” said Rachel Dionne-Thunder, a Plains Cree woman and member of the Indigenous Protector Movement.
Religious leaders, including Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church pastor B. Charvez Russell, and Imam Yusuf Abdulle, the executive director of the Islamic Association of North America, called for ICE to leave Minnesota and showed support for immigrants.
“We will not be labeled. We will not be silenced. We will not back down,” Abdulle said.
Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg, the Rabbi at Shir Tikvah in Minneapolis, highlighted the outpouring from the community: “Together, we are irrepressible.”
Minnesotans protested ICE operations in freezing temperatures today. Catch up on the latest
It has been a day of protest in Minnesota today: A crowd of people braving the winter weather marched through downtown Minneapolis to the Timberwolves’ arena for a rally.
Plus, hundreds of businesses across the state were encouraged to close for the day to strike against the Trump administration’s latest efforts to crack down on immigration.
Here’s what to know:
- Protests: Despite forecasts showing the wind chill in Minneapolis was not expected to rise above -20, crowds of people marched through downtown this afternoon, calling for ICE to leave the city. Some people are playing drums or banging on buckets as others lead the crowd in chants. The crowd walked to Target Center, where 20,000 people signed up for a rally that is happening now.
- What DHS says it wants: Agency spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said tensions could ease in Minneapolis if Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and city mayor Jacob Frey allow ICE into the state’s detention facilities. DHS also called for Walz and Frey to turn over a convicted sex offender they said federal agents were searching for on Sunday.
- Airport arrests: Airport police arrested about 100 people during a protest at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport today, according to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. They were issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer, the spokesperson said.
- 5-year-old boy taken: In the wake of controversy after a 5-year-old boy and his father were taken by ICE, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said agents are “experts in dealing with children.” A top ICE official, Marcos Charles, denied allegations that the child was used as bait to capture his father. The child and his father are being held together at an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, according to school district officials and a family attorney.
- Former NAACP leader released: Nekima Levy Armstrong has been released from custody following her arrest after protesting at a St. Paul church over the weekend, her attorney said. She and community organizer Chauntyll Allen were charged with conspiracy against rights, according to the arrest warrants. Allen was also ordered released.
- Local and state leaders: Frey said the increase in federal immigration agents is not making his city safer, calling the operation “political retribution.” Vice President JD Vance had a “frank and productive discussion” with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison yesterday, according to a source familiar.
CNN’s Zoe Sottile, Andy Rose, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Alisha Ebrahimji, Priscilla Alvarez, Michael Wiliams, Kit Maher, Alaa Elassar, Hannah Rabinowitz, Phil Mattingly and Tami Luhby contributed reporting to this post.
Here are new details about the St. Paul church protest, according to court documents
New details have been shared about what happened before and during a St. Paul church protest Sunday in court documents unsealed Friday afternoon.
On Sunday morning, protesters gathered at a shopping center parking lot to discuss their protest before heading to the church, according to an affidavit. The meeting and portions of the protest were recorded by someone, the affidavit said, but their name was redacted.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of the protesters charged, said the protest was called “Operation Pullup” and described it as a “clandestine” operation, the affidavit said. The meeting beforehand was led by her and Chauntyll Allen, another protester who was charged, according to the affidavit.
Protesters then got in their cars and drove over to Cities Church, where the protesters entered, the affidavit said. The camera that was recording didn’t enter the church, but a person whose name was redacted brought in audio equipment that made it possible to hear inside the church, the affidavit said.
At least one of the protesters interrupted the service about two minutes after entering, the affidavit said. The person who was recording then went into the church, and another person was heard describing on camera how parishioners looked scared and were trying to leave, the affidavit said.
Several people tried to leave the church and fell on their way out, including one person who broke their arm, the affidavit said. Several of the parishioners investigators spoke to described the protest as frightening, as they didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t get their children out of the day care center downstairs, the affidavit said.
Around 100 people arrested at "peaceful protest" at Minnesota airport, Airports Commission says
Airport police arrested several people at a “peaceful protest” at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Friday, according to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
He said event organizers had coordinated with airport staff beforehand. “The approved demonstration permit set a dedicated location and maximum number of participants to maintain the safety of protestors, passengers and airport employees,” he said in a statement to CNN.
“When the permitted activity went beyond the agreed-upon terms, MSP Airport Police began taking necessary action, including arrests, to protect public safety, airport security and access to Terminal 1,” the statement continued.
Airport police arrested around 100 people, who were issued misdemeanor citations for trespassing and failure to comply with a peace officer, and released.
Here is what the three people in the church protest are charged with, according to court documents
Court documents unsealed today offer more insight into what three people were charged with after they participated in a protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, including how a magistrate judge denied the Justice Department’s efforts to bring additional charges.
Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen and William Kelly are charged with conspiracy against rights, according to the arrest warrants. The charge “makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person” for exercising any rights secured under the Constitution or laws in the United States, according to the Department of Justice. It’s a felony charge that is punishable with up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Prosecutors also tried to charge all three people with a separate charge, but a magistrate judge eliminated it, writing in the complaint there was “no probable cause” for the charge, according to court records.
That charge, which is part of the FACE Act, “makes it unlawful for a person to use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to intentionally injure or intimidate a person because he or she is lawfully exercising the right of religious freedom at a place of worship,” according to the Department of Justice. It is also used when someone is prevented from accessing reproductive health services.
The judge did not elaborate on his reasoning for why he found a lack of probable cause in striking the charge. The same magistrate judge – who has handled new complaints coming from federal prosecutors this week – also rejected the DOJ’s initial attempt to bring charges against journalist Don Lemon for appearing alongside protesters. Lemon said he was there in his capacity as a journalist.
Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, has said she will continue to pursue charges against Lemon, and department officials have said publicly they will seek to charge individuals who participated in the upheaval at the church, including Lemon, with violating the FACE Act.
Prosecutors can also seek an indictment through a grand jury, which would limit a judge’s ability to immediately quash charges brought.
Learn more about the FACE Act and a similar civil rights federal statute that a Department of Justice official said they were potentially looking to use to prosecute the church protesters.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Renee Good's family attorney says they want "real due process, real investigation"
Antonio Romanucci, the attorney for the family of Renee Good, called for “real due process, real investigation” after the 37-year-old mother of three was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in early January.
“We don’t want these guys to have kangaroo courts,” he told CNN Friday.
The FBI quickly shifted an investigation into Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot Good, to focus on whether the agent was assaulted, and the Justice Department has refused to cooperate with local law enforcement agencies on their own investigation.
Romanucci also discussed the findings of an independent autopsy, which showed three clear gunshot wounds, including a “life-threatening” injury that entered Good’s head on the left side near the temple and exited the right side of her head.
“Certainly it lends itself to the belief that Ross shot her while he was at the side of her car, meaning that she was moving away from him and not towards, and that’s very significant,” he said.
DHS won't give timeline for Minnesota operations but says situation could "easily be quelled" if state turns over detainees to ICE
Tensions in Minneapolis could ease if Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey allow ICE into the state’s detention facilities, according to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
“I can’t give you a timeline on how long we will have a footprint here,” McLaughlin said today on Fox News. “But the bottom line here is that things could easily be quelled if Tim Walz and Jacob Frey would let us in the jails.”
“Tim Walz and Jacob Frey should agree to honor those detainers and hand them over to ICE so that they will not go on to be released onto Minneapolis’ streets,” McLaughlin added.
CNN has reached out to Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey for comment.
McLaughlin said there are 1,360 individuals with ICE detainers in Minnesota custody. Just yesterday, the state corrections chief challenged the federal figure and said they have found a total of 301 individuals with ICE detainers.
“They continue to publicly repeat information that is inaccurate and misleading. This is no longer simple misunderstanding,” Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said during a news conference yesterday.
Band keeps crowd of protesters energized ahead of rally at Timberwolves arena
A band is keeping the spirits of protesters up at the Minnesota Timberwolves’ arena in Minneapolis. The sounds of horns and drums carry through the Target Center, where 20,000 people are signed up to protest ICE’s presence in the city.
Thousands signed up within 24 hours of hearing that the rally would take place, according to CNN’s Sara Sidner, who is at the arena.
People are already there, walking around with signs and singing with the band.
There is also a rally and march happening in downtown Minneapolis right now, where people are braving frigid temperatures. Hundreds of Minnesota businesses are expected to close today as part of the protests against the immigration crackdown.
Here’s what it looks like inside the arena:
Vance met with Minnesota attorney general on Thursday
Vice President JD Vance met briefly with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during his visit to Minneapolis on Thursday, according to a source familiar.
The two had a “frank and productive discussion,” the source told CNN.
Vance took reporter questions in Minneapolis after holding a separate roundtable with local business and political leaders, as well as community members. He blamed state and local officials for a lack of cooperation with ICE that he said was causing “chaos” in the city, but he expressed optimism about partnership going forward.
“The best way to facilitate reasonable enforcement of the law, but also to lower the chaos in Minneapolis, would be for state and local officials to cooperate,” Vance said Thursday. “I actually think that there’s some hope, some reason to think that there’s going to be better cooperation in the weeks and months to come.”
Axios was first to report on the pair meeting Thursday.
Hundreds brave freezing temperatures at downtown Minneapolis rally and march
Hundreds of protesters have showed up to a rally in downtown Minneapolis, despite freezing temperatures, to call for ICE agents to leave the city.
Some people are playing drums or banging on buckets as others lead the crowd in chants.
The cold “is not going to hold us back, that’s for sure,” Katelyn, who did not give her last name, told CNN affiliate KARE. She said the turnout of protesters gave her hope.
One person told KARE that Minnesotans are prepared for cold weather and some people at the protests are handing out hand warmers.
“It doesn’t matter how cold it is, it doesn’t matter what kind of adversity we have. We’re going to support our neighbors no matter what,” Kevin Springer said.
The crowd also marched down the street, with people holding signs.
Former NAACP leader arrested following anti-ICE church protest is released from custody
Prominent civil rights attorney and former NAACP leader Nekima Levy Armstrong has been released from custody following her arrest after protesting at a St. Paul church against ICE activity in the Twin Cities, her attorney told CNN.
She was able to go home after a second judge ordered her release today, court records show.
Community organizer Chauntyll Allen was also ordered released after she and Armstrong were both detained on Thursday following the Sunday protest that supporters describe as peaceful. A federal judge initially ordered their release yesterday, and a second judge reaffirmed the decision today, rejecting efforts by federal prosecutors to delay the release, the NAACP said in a press release.
Allen has also been released, her attorney Jill Brisbois confirmed.
In the statement, the NAACP said video footage of Armstrong’s arrest “contradicts the false narrative being circulated by federal authorities.”
The protesters were charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The charges are based on accusations the protesters prevented church-goers from engaging in religious worship, Levy Armstrong’s attorney Jordan Kushner said.
Describing the events that unfolded at Sunday’s protest, Levy Armstrong told CNN she asked the pastor about David Easterwood, who is listed as a pastor at the church and appears to be a top ICE official. When she mentioned Easterwood’s name, she said the pastor said “Shame, shame.” “And that is when I led us in chants: ‘Justice for Renee Good’ and ‘Hands up, don’t shoot,’” she said.
Levy Armstrong, a Christian reverend, added in her statement that the protest was aimed at highlighting the impact of ICE enforcement on families and communities.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Photographer who captured agents spraying pinned man in the face describes "very chaotic" scene
It’s a striking photograph: a man pinned to the ground by federal agents, as another sprays him directly in the face with pepper spray.
Minnesota Star Tribune photographer Richard Tsong-Taatarii, who captured the viral image Wednesday, told CNN that a crowd of protesters became agitated after an ICE agent pushed a cyclist over.
That’s when protesters began approaching agents more closely and yelling at them – and agents in turn started wrestling people to the ground, including the man Tsong-Taatarii photographed, he said.
“It was very chaotic,” he said of the scene.
In reaction to the photograph, “people are outraged that this mace or chemical irritant was deployed at such close range,” he added.
Remember: The use of pepper spray came as the Department of Justice is appealing an injunction that prevented federal agents involved in “Operation Metro Surge,” the thousands-strong federal immigration enforcement campaign targeting undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, from using pepper spray and certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters. A federal appeals court froze the order Wednesday.
