- - Judge puts limits on federal agents in Minnesota, as protests cool with the weather

Amanda Musa, Holly Yan, Taylor Romine, Karina Tsui, CNNJanuary 17, 2026 at 1:44 AM

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Federal immigration officers detain a protester outside Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Thursday. - Adam Gray/AP

As temperatures plummet in Minnesota, the struggle between the Trump administration and opponents of Operation Metro surge are playing out indoors: A judge has ruled federal agents can’t retaliate against peaceful protesters or stop people in their cars if they aren’t obstructing operations.

And in Washington, the Justice Department has launched an investigation into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Walz did not confirm the investigation to CNN but accused the federal government of “weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents,” while Frey said he “will not be intimidated.” The Justice Department has not commented.

Outside on the streets, heated clashes have slowed to a simmer as plunging temperatures and fierce winds of 30 to 40 mph blast through the Twin Cities. The wind chill is dipping below zero degrees and it’s expected to stay that way until the middle of next week.

From Saturday night into Sunday morning, the actual air temperature will drop below zero, with blustery winds ushering wind chills as low as -20.

State and local leaders have urged the community to remain calm amid unrest that escalated earlier this week after a federal agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan national who federal officials said began to resist arrest and “violently assault” one of its officers, just a week after Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent.

The Department of Homeland Security continues its presence in the city, saying 12 people were arrested in Minneapolis Thursday night.

“Last night in Minneapolis 12 anti-ICE agitators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement,” DHS posted on X Friday morning. “Reminder: it is a federal crime and a FELONY if you lay a finger on law enforcement or destroy federal property.”

Protesters were seen at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building Friday — a day after federal officers in tactical gear deployed tear gas and percussion grenades to try to disperse crowds near the building Thursday.

Protests are expected to continue throughout the weekend despite frigid temperatures.

‘We belong here because we are Americans’

American citizens going about their daily business are getting tackled or detained due to their ethnicities, lawmakers and local residents said at a field hearing hosted by several members of Congress on Friday.

“Minnesotans are being racially profiled on a mass level,” said Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat. “They are being kidnapped from our communities. Parents are seized in front of their children by masked federal agents.”

After Trump called the Somali community “garbage,” some of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area’s 84,000 Somali Americans said they are dealing with the consequences – even though most are American citizens.

“My community, we are health workers, drivers, teachers, laborers, entrepreneurs, engineers, public servants,” Somali American Jaylani Hussein, the executive director of CAIR Minnesota, said. “We belong here because we are Americans.”

But a DHS spokesperson said immigration agents do not use racial profiling to make arrests.

“What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.—NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity,” the spokesperson said in an email to CNN on Thursday.

“Protected under the Fourth amendment of the U.S. Constitution, DHS law enforcement uses ‘reasonable suspicion’ to make arrests. There are no ‘indiscriminate stops’ being made.”

In a news conference following the hearing, Minnesota democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison called for increased transparency from the Trump administration on the details of the mass detention effort, including who is being arrested and the charges against them. She urged residents to document federal agents’ actions in the city but avoid breaking the law or escalating interactions with law enforcement.

As the federal immigration enforcement operation continues, here’s what else to know:

Insurrection Act: Trump raised the prospect of invoking the law, which would allow the deployment of US troops to Minnesota. But “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it,” Trump told reporters Friday. “But if I needed it, I’d use it.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked the judge presiding over a lawsuit the state and Twin Cities filed against the administration to reconsider their request for a temporary retraining order, citing a White House social media post about invoking the Insurrection Act.

Legal battle: Teresa Nelson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, called Trump’s Insurrection Act threats “unnecessary, dangerous and wrong.” The organization also filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government Thursday, claiming immigration agents violated US citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.

Judge orders limits for federal agents: Federal agents working in Operation Metro Surge are not allowed to arrest peaceful protesters or stop people in their cars without cause, among other items, a US District judge ruled in a preliminary injunction Friday. Federal agents cannot do the following to peaceful protesters: retaliate, arrest or detain them, or use pepper spray or other nonlethal munitions. The order also said they can no longer stop and detain drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal agents’ operations. The Department of Homeland Security defended its agents actions, saying they follow training and use “the minimum amount of force necessary.”

Clashes continue: Federal officers deployed tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse a group of protesters at the Whipple Federal Building late Thursday. Earlier, loudspeakers warned demonstrators against blocking the building’s driveway, as some in the group kicked and threw items at exiting vehicles. Some protesters were taken into custody, US Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino told Fox News. CNN reached out to DHS for details. On Friday, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson urged protesters planning to demonstrate this weekend to stay safe and lawful.

Another ICE-involved shooting: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, was shot and injured by an ICE agent on Wednesday after he resisted arrest and started to “violently assault” the agent, according to federal officials. The Department of Homeland Security said two other Venezuelans were also detained after they attacked the agent with a shovel and broom handle while he was trying to arrest Sosa-Celis. All three men are living in the US illegally, according to officials.

Renee Good: More than a week has passed since an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. Her family’s lawyers are demanding that all evidence tied to her death, including Good’s car, cellphone video, dashcam video and communications between agents, be preserved as part of a civil investigation that could lead to a lawsuit. An incident report and 911 transcripts from Minneapolis officials illustrate the chaotic minutes after the tragedy and reveal new information on Good’s multiple gunshot wounds.

Twin Cities on alert: FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Minneapolis Friday as federal agents have surged into the city over the last several days. Federal agents pulled over two vans of students and staff on their way to school in St. Paul, Minnesota, in separate incidents this week, a school district spokesperson said. Starting next week, students “who do not feel comfortable coming to school” can participate in virtual learning, Saint Paul Public Schools said in a Facebook post.

This story has been with additional information.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe, Brandon Miller, Kaitlan Collins, Lauren Mascarenhas, Samantha Waldenberg, Kelly McCleary, Danya Gainor, Samantha Waldenberg, Elise Hammond and Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.

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