‘You're white, wouldn't be fun’: Minneapolis pastor details ICE detention after joining protest

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A Minneapolis pastor said he was briefly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after approaching a protest related to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good earlier this month.

The pastor’s account adds to a growing narrative of community tension following the Minneapolis shooting that has ignited protests and sparked heated debate across the country.

Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC shared his account with Fox 9 Minneapolis, saying the encounter unfolded on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Pastor says ICE surrounded woman at protest

Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC in Minneapolis told Fox 9 that on the morning of January 7, 2026, he was heading toward protests near his church when he realized something was happening nearby after hearing whistles and car horns outside. 

He said he grabbed his own whistles and moved toward the commotion, only for the situation to escalate quickly.

Callaghan told Fox 9 that he managed to take a few photos as a vehicle drove down Portland Avenue before pocketing his phone when he noticed agents surrounding a “brown-skinned woman.”

He said he joined a crowd chanting, “We are not afraid,” and attempted to redirect attention toward himself, telling the agents to arrest him instead of the woman they were surrounding.

Pastor recounts ICE detention during Minneapolis protest

According to the pastor, ICE agents handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a vehicle after he offered himself to officers in an attempt to defuse the situation. “Before I knew it, they were putting handcuffs on my arms and they asked me, ‘Are you afraid now?’ ”he recalled.  

He said he answered, “No, I am not,” as agents continued detaining him. Callaghan told Fox 9 that he was held in the SUV with two other detainees as agents returned multiple times to question him.

“And then they came back the last time and they said, ‘Are you afraid yet?’ ” he said. “And I said, ‘No.’ ” Callaghan recounted that he was released after less than an hour when an agent reportedly told him, “Well, you’re white, and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway. Get out of the car.”

He described the experience as intimidating and said it underscored his belief that ICE’s tactics were not aimed at maintaining safety but at instilling fear. Pastor Callaghan reiterated that he would not hesitate to step in again.

“I will always stand up for people who are being mistreated for simply being human,” he said, adding, “It is not right. It is wrong.”