US security forces fire tear gas at Minneapolis protesters

Thousands of protesters clashed with U.S. security forces in Minneapolis as tear gas was used outside the Whipple Federal Building amid outrage over a surge in federal immigration agents and the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Good by an ICE officer, prompting President Trump to threaten military deployment under the Insurrection Act.

Timothy Sim/Reuters

16 January 2026 at 06:25:02

US security forces fire tear gas at Minneapolis protesters

A federal agent walks near tear gas smoke after it was used on protesting community members, as tensions rise after federal law enforcement agents were involved in a shooting incident, a week after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 14, 2026.

Seth Herald/Reuters

U.S. Security Forces fired tear gas at protesters who gathered near the Whipple Federal Building over a surge in immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis on Thursday (January 15) evening.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces in Minnesota after days of angry protests over a surge in immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis.

Confrontations between residents and federal officers have become increasingly tense after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a U.S. citizen, Renee Good, in a car eight days ago in Minneapolis, and the protests have spread to other cities.

Trump's latest threat came a few hours after an immigration officer shot a Venezuelan man who the government said was fleeing after agents tried to stop his vehicle in Minneapolis. The man was wounded in the leg.

Since the surge began, agents have arrested both immigrants and protesters, at times smashing windows and pulling people from their cars. They have been shouted at for stopping Black and Latino U.S. citizens to demand identification.

-Timothy Sim/Reuters