Video of ICE dragging disabled woman from car in Minneapolis sparks scrutiny of agents' tactics

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A disturbing new video captured on January 13, Tuesday, in Minneapolis shows a woman being forcefully removed from her vehicle by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as she attempted to drive to a doctor’s appointment.

This incident occurred just days after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot in her car by an ICE agent on Wednesday, January 7. The scenes of conflict in the city have drawn widespread attention, outrage and further intensified the federal response.

Disabled woman dragged from car by ICE

On Tuesday, a woman driving to a doctor’s appointment became the focus of another violent episode between masked ICE agents and protesters in the area near 34th and Park streets.

The incident unfolded amid heavy confrontations that erupted after the deadly shooting of Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. The protest had blocked parts of the street and when the woman attempted to drive through, ICE agents targeted her vehicle. The agents had asked her to move her car along earlier. 

According to the video shared by eyewitness Amanda Moore, agents “busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt, and pulled her out before arresting her.”

Reports quote the female driver as saying, “This b***h just said he was gonna break my window if I don’t move my car!”  While saying this, she was allegedly pointing directly at the ICE agent, screaming and throwing her hands up in frustration.

The woman, whose name was not immediately known, yelled at the agents, “Get the f**k out of my car. I’ve been picked up by the police before. I’m disabled, I’m trying to go to the doctor up there, that’s why I didn’t move.” 

As agents pulled her from the driver’s seat onto the concrete, a knife was used to cut her seatbelt. She was then placed in handcuffs and pushed against her car. Throughout the entire encounter, protesters expressed outrage.

Demonstrators yelled at the agents and jeered with chants of “F**k you,” as whistles blew and car horns sounded.

One protester yelled, “All you do is hurt!” amid the chaos. The environment conveyed a mix of anger, fear and disbelief as the woman repeatedly stated she was disabled and simply trying to reach her doctor’s appointment.

State Sen Omar Fateh commented on the situation via X, stating, “This is what living under a federal siege looks like. This isn’t about public safety—this is t*****ism.”

Federal response intensifies in Minnesota

The forceful removal of the woman during the protest is only the latest incident in a series of confrontations involving ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Minnesota. 

In another viral video, a group of federal agents was shown smashing a man’s car window at a Minneapolis gas station before removing him from the vehicle. Moments later, a second man was violently arrested in the same sequence of events.

During this gas station incident, one agent explained to bystanders, “We’re trying to get status. Got a Honduran here. We’re trying to get status,” referring to the reasons for surrounding the car with approximately a dozen officers.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also declared that "hundreds more" will be sent to the area "in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely".

Protesters had gathered in Minnesota on Saturday, Jan 10, for a large rally and similar anti-ICE demonstrations were held in cities across Austin, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles.

Minneapolis police estimated that “tens of thousands of people” took part in the “ICE out of Minnesota” march and rally, which began at Powderhorn Park.