Protests soon spread to those and other Midwestern cities as residents faced down ICE agents attempting to apprehend the undocumented. The meetings soon escalated, with protesters launching snowballs against the agents. These protests spread quickly from Elgin to Minneapolis and then to Chicago. Demonstrators in New Haven, CT, expressed their anger at federal immigration enforcement methods.
In Elgin, protesters converged outside as federal agents tried to arrest a man. Things turned nasty when demonstrators started to hurl snowballs at the officers, prompting an aggressive response. Similar scenes unfolded in Minneapolis and Chicago, where community members voiced their dissent against perceived aggressive tactics used by ICE agents.
Similar to the forceful behavior of Customs and Border Protection agents described in our witness accounts, agents drew their weapons and escalated their interactions aggressively from the start. In one such encounter, an agent brandished a taser in one hand as he aimed a gun at the gathered humans. One officer even pepper sprayed a group of people who were no longer protesting, further angering those in attendance.
One of the most shocking cases was that of a woman who was half handcuffed. An ICE agent proceeded to drag her down the snowy street. This inciting act set off a greater reaction from the audience, resulting in even more snowballs now being thrown.
“The snowballs were definitely being thrown, but we didn’t start throwing snowballs until they started dragging her around by her wrist.” – Witness at the protest
ICE operations like this one cause fear and panic. Brian O’Hara, Minneapolis’ then–acting police chief, actually condemned these kinds of tactics in public statements about the operation. He sounded the call for improved de-escalation techniques, asserting that his officers were highly trained in this specific tactic.
“We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation, but unfortunately that is … often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city,” – Brian O’Hara
The confrontations were not without legal implications. Given the serious nature of the charges, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security declared that assaulting an officer is a federal crime. Legal experts such as criminal defense attorney Joe Tamburino of Minneapolis weighed in on the issue. They made the point that while throwing snowballs may seem harmless, it can quickly fall under assault if your target ends up hurt or injured. Intent is a key factor in deciding if these actions amount to assault.
These confrontations were filmed and shared widely on social media platforms, with videos showing protesters throwing snowballs at the militarized federal agents. In Minneapolis, agents tried to arrest a woman who would later die from her injuries after being pinned in a snowbank during the arrest. The use of force by ICE agents has sparked significant debate regarding the appropriateness of such tactics during immigration enforcement operations.
“ICE stays frosty … but rioters should be aware, assaulting an officer is a federal crime.” – DHS spokesperson
Whether positive or negative, these incidents showcase the increasing pressures surrounding immigration enforcement in the U.S. They hit hardest on communities that are already on the defensive against predatory federal overreach. As these confrontations play out on live television, the national conversation on law enforcement tactics intensifies. Community rights have been front and center in this long discussion.