Agents use force and warnings to control anti-ICE protest outside Minneapolis federal building

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Tensions escalated on Thursday, January 15, near downtown Minneapolis outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building that serves as the base for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

Here, federal officers in tactical gear moved into a crowd of protesters, briefly detaining at least one person and pushing demonstrators back from the entrance.

The confrontation followed a day of mostly calm demonstrations marked by chanting, signs and noise-making.

However, it came during a week of heightened unrest after a fatal ICE shooting and fresh warnings from President Donald Trump about potentially deploying US troops to Minnesota.

Authorities said the situation remains fluid as protests continue and multiple investigations and legal challenges unfold.

Officers, protesters clash at Whipple Building

Federal officers emerged from the de-facto ICE base in Minnesota and entered the crowd after several tense moments outside the facility.

Witnesses said multiple officers appeared to detain a person on the ground before escorting them into the building, while others forced protesters to retreat up the driveway.

Dozens of officers later walked back toward the entrance as a separate group formed a line, keeping protesters at a distance. 

Agents were seen managing protests by giving verbal warnings and physically pushing people back.

CNN reported that during the standoff, a person with a bullhorn shouted at officers, "What if someone came for your family?"

Federal agents also deployed pepper spray to disperse protesters who were shaking a fence, according to reports from the protest site. 

Earlier in the day, a protester threw what appeared to be a frozen water bottle at a vehicle near the building, prompting federal agents to move out and line up across from protesters standing in the middle of the street.

ICE deploys tear gas, flash bangs

While demonstrations on January 15 were largely peaceful, officials said the previous night saw intense clashes between protesters and federal agents.

Law enforcement deployed multiple tear gas canisters and devices that sounded like flash bangs before ordering people to "go home."

The protests have continued for more than a week after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, an incident that has sparked sustained anger and occasional violence around federal facilities.

City leaders have urged residents to remain calm, even as tensions remain high between demonstrators and federal authorities.

The unrest intensified after another ICE-involved shooting on January 14. Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, was shot and injured by an ICE agent after resisting arrest and starting to "violently assault" the officer, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press release.

Sosa-Celis was detained along with two other Venezuelan nationals, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma. All three men were living in the US illegally, according to the DHS.

Federal officials said the incident is under review.

Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday, Jan 15, threatened to use the Insurrection Act to quell the Minnesota protests.

This 1807 federal law empowers the president to deploy US military or federalize the National Guard for law enforcement domestically.