Thousands have joined another night of protests after a woman was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.
City officials previously said 30 people were arrested during the weekend protests and one police officer suffered a minor injury “after a block of ice was thrown at them.”
Protests against immigration enforcement have erupted across the U.S. since 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car last Wednesday. More protests are expected in major U.S. cities on Sunday.
The Trump administration said the agent who fired the gun acted in self-defense. Local officials insisted the woman was out of danger.
People gathered in Minneapolis on Saturday despite the bitter cold, and protests against ICE were held across the United States, including in Austin, Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles.
Minneapolis police estimated that “tens of thousands” attended the “ICE in Minnesota” rally and march that began at Powderhorn Park on Saturday.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the protests were “peaceful.”
On Friday night, Minneapolis police declared an unlawful assembly after protesters gathered outside the city’s Canopy Hotel, where some ICE agents are believed to be staying.
“Hundreds of people attended, with some individuals forcing their way into the hotel through an alley entrance,” Minneapolis police said in a statement.
Videos posted online showed protesters flashing bright lights, whistling and banging drums.
Police said some people threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, police cars and other vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported.
One law enforcement officer suffered minor injuries but did not require medical treatment, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Officials said another hotel in the city was also targeted, suffering damage to windows and graffiti.
At a press conference Saturday morning, Mayor Frey applauded the majority of peaceful protesters but noted that individuals who cause damage to property or harm others will be arrested.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said those arrested Friday night were later released.
Many Minnesotans are frustrated with ICE’s presence in the state, and O’Hara said his department receives dozens of calls every day regarding the federal agency’s operations.
The shooting exposed stark political divisions, with both sides accusing the other of using inflammatory rhetoric.
On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of committing an act of “domestic terrorism,” telling CNN that Good had “weaponized” his car to attack ICE agents in Minneapolis.
“Everyone can tell this victim was not a domestic terrorist,” Frey told CNN minutes later, describing his actions as attempting a three-point diversion to escape the scene.
The Minneapolis mayor added that the city’s local law enforcement agencies are “outnumbered by ICE agents and more.”
On Saturday, three members of Congress from Minnesota attempted to tour an ICE facility in Minneapolis. The women said they were initially allowed in but were later told they had to leave.
Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig said ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were preventing members of Congress from carrying out their duties to oversee its operations.
“They don’t care about breaking federal law,” Craig said.
“The public deserves to know what’s happening in ICE facilities,” Omar posted on X on Saturday.
DHS policy dated Jan. 8, the day after Good was shot, requires members of Congress to provide seven days’ notice for visits to ICE facilities.
The BBC’s U.S. partner CBS News reported that the policy was filed in federal court on Saturday.
Good was shot and killed in his car Wednesday.
Video of the incident shows an ICE agent approaching a vehicle in the middle of the road and telling the woman in the driver’s seat to get out of the SUV. One of the agents pulls on the driver’s side door handle.
As the vehicle attempts to start, one of the agents in the front of the vehicle points a gun at the driver and several gunshots are heard.
The vehicle then continued to drive away from the officer and crashed onto the side of the road.
Good’s wife told local media the pair went to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to support their neighbors.
The officer who shot Good is Jonathan Ross, a veteran ICE agent who was previously injured when he was hit by a car while on duty.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed that ICE agents shot Good multiple times as they attempted to hit an officer in his car.
But Frey, the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis, called that a false narrative and said it was clear she was not trying to attack the agent but was trying to leave the scene.
The FBI is investigating this incident.
On Friday, Minnesota officials said they would open an investigation after saying the shooting had been removed from the federal investigation.
The announcement comes a day after the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation said the FBI had initially promised a joint investigation but then reversed course. The U.S. vice president said the investigation was a federal matter.
