Federal agents’ aggressive moves in Minneapolis and St. Paul, visualized

From enforcement raids to citizen checks: A scene-by-scene analysis of federal agents’ presence in the Twin Cities since the death of Renee Good

By Amy O’Kruk, Koko Nakajima, Renée Rigdon, Byron Manley, Janie Boschma, Sharif Paget and CJ Riculan, CNN

Published January 22, 2026

Confirmed federal agent locations since Jan. 6, 2026

MINNESOTA

Minneapolis

St. Paul

Jan. 7

Renee Good killed

BH Whipple Federal Building

Confirmed federal agent locations since Jan. 6, 2026

MINNESOTA

Minneapolis

St. Paul

Jan. 7

Renee Good killed

BH Whipple Federal Building

Tensions are high in Minneapolis after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in her SUV earlier this month. Good’s death sparked outrage against ICE’s continued presence and the Department of Homeland Security’s aggressive tactics by armed, masked agents in the Twin Cities — in both immigration enforcement operations and crackdowns on protesters.

DHS has poured thousands of federal agents into the cities, greatly outnumbering the combined sworn police officers that Minneapolis and St. Paul have, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said federal agents had arrested 3,000 “criminal” undocumented immigrants in Minnesota over the last six weeks, as of January 19.

“DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CNN.

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, according to a Trump administration source, while state officials have mobilized — but not yet deployed — the Minnesota National Guard.

CNN reviewed and geolocated videos that demonstrate just some examples of federal agents’ tactics in the Twin Cities. They have detained both suspected undocumented immigrants and US citizens, used pepper balls, tear gas and pepper spray against protesters, and stopped a citizen to ask for identification and where he was born because of his accent.

Jan. 7

1/7

ICE agent fatally shoots Renee Good

CNN obtained multiple angles of the fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Noem said Good “weaponized” her vehicle and that the agent responded in defense of his life. State and local officials have repeatedly disputed claims that the shooting of the Minneapolis mother of three was done in self-defense.

CNN

Confrontation outside a public school

On the day of Good's fatal shooting, a Border Patrol agent visibly shoves somebody and a person is detained by agents. A DHS spokesperson said agents were chasing a US citizen “actively trying to impede operations,” and the pursuit ended near the school. Students and staff were never targeted, DHS said, saying a teacher assaulted an agent and the crowd threw objects and paint, prompting “targeted crowd control.”

Video obtained by CNN

Agents use chemical irritants and pepper balls

Federal agents push back a crowd of protesters, shooting pepper balls at their feet and spraying an orange chemical irritant from a can, near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. According to CNN’s Omar Jimenez, who was on the scene, law enforcement presence increased significantly after several instances of cars being hit with snow and ice, or protesters trying to block vehicles from leaving the facility.

CNN

Agent shoves man blocking ICE vehicle into oncoming traffic

A man stops in front of an ICE vehicle as it begins moving. An ICE agent pushes the man, causing him to fall into oncoming traffic. A bus about to pass by the scene comes to a quick stop after he falls. CNN has reached out to DHS for comment.

Video obtained by CNN

Agents tackle and detain anti-ICE protester

A masked agent yells "Get back!" and pushes a protester, who swats the agent’s hand away before getting tackled to the ground by several agents. After being detained the man is carried away and placed in an SUV. DHS said the US citizen was arrested after he didn’t comply with the order to stay back and responded by hitting an officer.

Amanda M/FNTV

Woman stands her ground when agents ask for ID

A woman says she was surrounded by federal agents on the sidewalk, asking for identification and where she was born. The woman says she doesn't need to carry ID and eventually the agents return to their vehicle. DHS said “a person’s immigration status makes them a target for enforcement, not their skin color, race or ethnicity.”

Nimco Omar

Man is pepper sprayed in confrontation with ICE agents

A man is pepper sprayed in a confrontation with agents near where Renee Good was fatally shot. DHS said officers “were swarmed by approximately 100 agitators who surrounded law enforcement and began throwing objects at them, threatening them, blocking their exit, and impeding their lawful operations. Officers called for backup and were forced to deploy tear gas and other crowd control techniques.”

FNTV

Agents drag woman out of her car

Agents surround Aliya Rahman’s car, smash her window and cut her seatbelt off as she yells she’s disabled. She told CNN she wasn’t part of the protest and was going to a doctor’s appointment. DHS said she was arrested for obstruction after ignoring commands to move her vehicle away from the scene.

FNTV

Agent detains US citizen after he refuses to show ID requested “because of your accent”

Ramon Menera was detained outside his home in a Minneapolis suburb in front of his 5-year-old daughter after a US Border Patrol agent accused him of not being a US citizen because of his accent, he told CNN. DHS told CNN an agent recognized his accent as being from Mexico and that Menera initially lied to agents about where he was born. Agents let Menera go after reviewing his paperwork, he said.

Danniela Monzon

Agents use gas to disperse protesters

Protesters clashed with law enforcement after an ICE agent shot a person in the leg who DHS said had assaulted one of its officers earlier in the evening. The video shows multiple explosions and gas as protesters disperse.

Associated Press

Family trapped in protest is tear gassed

A family on their way home from their son’s basketball game found themselves trapped in a protest and were tear gassed in their car, resulting in the mother having to administer CPR to her infant, she told CNN. Dramatic video shows the family evacuating their car and fleeing to a nearby home. DHS said they didn’t target the family and that agents “followed their training and reasonably deployed crowd control measures.”

Yaakov Strasberg

Photographer tells CNN about being detained, pepper sprayed by federal agents

John Abernathy, an independent photographer, tells CNN he was hit from behind by "three ICE guys" during a protest outside the Whipple Federal Building. Abernathy said agents set tear gas in front of him and sprayed pepper spray into his face. DHS said he was arrested for obstructing pedestrian and vehicle traffic on federal property.

CNN

Minneapolis

St. Paul