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A Minnesota judge handed down a ruling Friday that bars federal officers from detaining or firing tear gas against peaceful protesters who do not obstruct officers while participating in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.
U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez’s order restricting the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal agents comes amid ongoing protests and heightened tensions in Minneapolis after Minnesota resident Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent earlier this month.
The ruling prevents authorities from retaliating against anyone who peacefully protests or witnesses the actions of immigration officers, saying federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said after the verdict that the First Amendment does not protect “rioters”, adding that DHS is “taking appropriate and constitutional measures to maintain the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
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Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Adam Gray/AP Photo)
“We remind the public that rioting is dangerous – obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and attacking law enforcement is a felony,” McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Riots and terrorists have attacked law enforcement, shooting fireworks at them, slashing the tires of their vehicles and damaging federal property. Others have chosen to ignore orders and attempted to obstruct law enforcement operations and have used their vehicles as weapons against our officers.”
McLaughlin said that “assault and obstructing law enforcement are felonies.”
“Despite these serious threats and dangerous conditions, our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property,” he said.
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Federal immigration officers clash with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on January 15, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Mustafa Basim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The ruling states federal agents cannot use pepper-spray or other non-lethal weapons and crowd-dispersion devices against peaceful protesters.
Additionally, Menendez wrote that officers “following safely at a reasonable distance does not, in itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop.”
The ruling stems from a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota workers represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who argued that government officials were violating Twin Cities residents’ constitutional rights.
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Federal agents deal with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 14, 2026. (Jamie Vera/Fox News)
Government lawyers said the officers were acting within their legal authority and justified the violence as they enforced immigration law across the country and in Minnesota.
The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis comes after two recent shootings involving ICE agents in the city.
Good died on January 7 when an ICE agent shot him through the driver’s side windshield and open window in his vehicle after allegedly attempting to run him over. In the video he can be heard saying “f—ing b—h” as his car collided with a parked car.
While Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for the prosecution of the agent, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident, arguing that it was a justified shooting.
Members of law enforcement work at the scene of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent during federal operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 7, 2026. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Then, in a separate incident on Wednesday, an ICE officer was seriously injured after three illegal immigrants allegedly ambushed him during a traffic stop, according to federal authorities. One suspect was shot and all three were taken into custody after a traffic stop to target a Venezuelan citizen turned into a scuffle and violent confrontation, authorities said.
Menendez is presiding over a separate lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which seeks to suspend the enforcement action.
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
