Tensions are rising across the United States as protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intensify, following a series of aggressive operations and the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent.
The Trump administration says its deployment of federal agents into Democratic-led cities is aimed at rounding up undocumented immigrants. However, critics argue the operations are increasingly being used to intimidate political opponents, sparking widespread fear and anger rather than compliance.
Protests erupted nationwide after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Good in Minneapolis. Since then, video footage has circulated showing federal agents conducting violent raids, dragging people from their workplaces, entering homes without warrants and using chokeholds. Some of those targeted were US citizens.
But Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize pic.twitter.com/Il1xI8zHUQ
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 11, 2026
During a protest outside a home being raided by ICE in Minneapolis, a woman drove onto a blocked street saying she was trying to get to a doctor’s appointment. ICE agents smashed her car windows, cut off her seatbelt, pulled her out, and arrested her
pic.twitter.com/kGfYF0vZKU— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 13, 2026
ICE detained a U.S. citizen teacher during student drop-off at a special education school in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Agents broke her window, pulled her from her car, used tear gas near children, and blamed her after ramming her vehicle.pic.twitter.com/mrDfv21UDn
— WarMonitor (@TheWarMonitor) January 13, 2026
Watch moments ICE agents were confronted by a small crowd at a gas station in Minneapolis after stopping a man pumping gas and demanding for proof of US citizenship.
🎥: @CBCNews pic.twitter.com/fGzkD8bv8z— Samuel Ozonna (@Samzonal) January 13, 2026
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the agents’ actions, saying they were “acting heroically to enforce the law.”
President Trump also weighed in, describing Good as “very, very disrespectful to law enforcement” – comments that have drawn sharp criticism from Democrats.
Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said Trump’s remarks were “legally irrelevant” and warned that police do not have the right to use lethal force based on perceived disrespect.
Political analysts say the administration’s approach has fuelled a deeper sense of opposition. Writing in The Atlantic, commentator David Frum argued that ICE operations have become more about spectacle and fear than law enforcement, describing the agency as “less a law-enforcement body and more a content creator.”
Meanwhile, resistance is growing at community level. In several cities, residents have formed neighbourhood groups to warn of immigration raids, escort children to school and assist families too afraid to leave their homes.
Opposition has also moved into the courts. The state of Illinois has sued the Department of Homeland Security, accusing federal agents of using unlawful and dangerous tactics. Minnesota, along with Minneapolis and St Paul, has launched similar legal action, with state attorney general Keith Ellison describing the operations as “a federal invasion.”
Public opinion appears divided. An Economist/YouGov poll released this week shows 46% of Americans support abolishing ICE, while 43% oppose it. Even conservative voices are speaking out, with podcaster Joe Rogan comparing ICE to the Gestapo.
ICYMI — @joerogan: “You don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around snatching people up… many of which turn out to be 🇺🇸 citizens. Are we really gonna be the Gestapo?”
Wait til Joe finds out he helped the guy behind it win the presidency pic.twitter.com/fzIMM3BHxH
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 14, 2026
