US judge bars federal agents from pepper spraying, arresting peaceful protesters in Minnesota

US immigration agents carrying out a sweeping crackdown against peaceful protests in Minnesota are barred from using pepper spray, nonlethal crowd-control tools or detaining protesters, a federal judge ordered Friday. 

In an 83-page order, US District Judge Katherine Menendez issued an injunction on Friday, saying the agents are not allowed to arrest or retaliate against peaceful protesters or use “pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools” against them.

She also ruled that officers cannot stop or detain drivers without “reasonable articulable suspicion” of interference with federal operations. 

“The act of safely following officers at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion,” Menendez wrote.

The injunction applies only to agents involved in the current operation in Minnesota and remains in effect until the federal surge concludes.

The ruling responded to a lawsuit filed on December 17 on behalf of six protesters and observers, who said their constitutional rights were violated by ICE and other federal agencies.

Protests have intensified in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on January 7. 

Demonstrators say the event reflects a broader pattern of excessive force, particularly as thousands of federal agents have been deployed to enforce immigration law and investigate alleged fraud in Minnesota.

The court order also comes amid US President Donald Trump's weeks-long crackdown on immigration in Minneapolis and St Paul, which saw the deployment of thousands of federal officers and more than 2,500 arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security defended its agents, claiming that they act “to uphold the rule of law and protect officers and the public."

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Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that agents follow training and use “the minimum amount of force necessary.” Observers, however, describe the federal tactics as military-style operations against ordinary citizens.

The federal response has also drawn scrutiny from the Department of Justice, which is reportedly investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement.

The inquiry raises questions about the treatment of local leaders who have consistently urged protesters to remain peaceful.

Despite bitter temperatures, demonstrators continued gathering near Minneapolis’s Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, decrying the federal surge as intimidation rather than legitimate law enforcement.

Legal experts say Judge Menendez’s ruling represents a rare check on federal overreach and underscores the tension between local governance and national immigration enforcement.

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