Judge rules feds in Minneapolis immigration
operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters
Associated Press,
by
Audrey Mcavoy
&
Steve Karnowski
Original Article
Posted By: Dreadnought,
1/16/2026 10:34:52 PM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in its largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including when these people are observing the agents, a judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez’s ruling addresses a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists. The six are among the thousands who have been observing the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area since last month.
Federal agents and demonstrators have repeatedly clashed since the crackdown began.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
JustCause 1/16/2026 10:42:39 PM (No. 2056040)
Key Word: Peaceful
53 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
sw penn 1/16/2026 10:48:04 PM (No. 2056041)
"Peaceful" protesters were never the issue
74 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Californian 1/16/2026 11:03:10 PM (No. 2056043)
Truly peaceful, not "mostly peaceful" and not interfering?
No problem. Go for it. Film it. Record it. Wave professionally printed signs handed out by Soros' agents. All ok. The rest of it? Get arrested and charged.
31 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
cThree 1/16/2026 11:03:17 PM (No. 2056044)
So Kate joins the horde of fruitcakes giving the distaff sex a bad smell.
It's not trivial, this: it unleashes to lawyers to sue on behalf of anyone who catches a whiff of tear gas, just for starters.
On the other hand, wouldn't it have been nice had such considerations been applied to the peaceful J6 tourists.
29 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
bighambone 1/16/2026 11:21:23 PM (No. 2056045)
Sounds like that Biden (Democrat) Judge issued a ruling that essential split hairs that have been taking place during dynamic situations, as while one “protestor” may be peaceful, another “protestor” standing next to or near the peaceful “protestor” may well be acting in a manner that constitutes a threat to nearby Federal law enforcement officers and the tear gas that those officers use cannot differentiate between the two! The Federal law enforcement officers do not have time to go about arresting true peaceful protestors when there are so many “protestors” who have been violently assaulting and otherwise interfering with those officers as they preform their Federal law enforcement duties. This decision needs to be immediately appealed to the Circuit Court.
23 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
anniebc 1/16/2026 11:21:44 PM (No. 2056046)
This is nothing more than a fake win. The enemedia will take it and run with it.
19 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Californian 1/16/2026 11:39:21 PM (No. 2056053)
5, if you're in a crowd standing next to violent people and not moving away then you're part of a violent mob and get to suck in tear gas.
If your entire group is non threatening then no need to gas anyone. Scream and wave your phone camera all day long, no problem.
18 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Jesuslover54 1/17/2026 12:26:10 AM (No. 2056059)
Observers can be obstructive by their very presence.
18 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
DVC 1/17/2026 12:32:09 AM (No. 2056062)
There haven't been more than one or two TOTAL of these crazy folks who are actually peaceful.
18 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
singermom9 1/17/2026 2:38:53 AM (No. 2056068)
Call it an insurrection. Have ICE hold the treasonous rioters back. Bring in the military and load the planes with any and all Somalians. Military does not have to obey ICE rules. Just pick them up and sort it out later.
I would also capture rioters and remove them from any and all government $. Welfare is a contract and if you don't follow the rules you cancel the contract. Rioters are committing felonies. Throw them off welfare. No violence. Just solves the problem.
Or maybe bring out the water cannons and give rioters a good soaking.
17 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
downnout 1/17/2026 2:45:51 AM (No. 2056069)
Water cannons would be very effective in the freezing temperatures in Minneapolis.
22 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Elljay 1/17/2026 5:09:54 AM (No. 2056074)
So amorphous as to be meaningless. There is nothing here to alter what ICE is already doing.
12 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
WhamDBambam 1/17/2026 6:04:45 AM (No. 2056086)
Gee, another Brandon-appointed "judge." How surprising.
15 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
FJB 2022 23 24 1/17/2026 6:10:04 AM (No. 2056089)
Keyword "peaceful" of which I have seen few in this whole mess.
15 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Doc1 1/17/2026 6:12:51 AM (No. 2056093)
If they were peaceful, they wouldn't need tear gassing.
17 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Arrowhead 1/17/2026 6:38:00 AM (No. 2056103)
What kind of enforcement mechanism do these loony liberal judges have if they were just ignored?
13 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
Venturer 1/17/2026 7:38:09 AM (No. 2056134)
Another Female Judge. In reality an AWFL.
12 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
BarryNo 1/17/2026 7:43:39 AM (No. 2056139)
I'm sure the judge gets to define what's peaceful?
10 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Strike3 1/17/2026 8:07:31 AM (No. 2056156)
It looks like all that's left is to shoot them. I'm okay with that. What if protesters had attempted to stand in front of the GIs as they landed on Normandy beaches?
10 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
bpl40 1/17/2026 8:25:36 AM (No. 2056169)
Are "mostly peaceful" covered too?
6 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 1/17/2026 9:01:28 AM (No. 2056194)
Officers ON THE SCENE get to make the call about what is going on with protesters. They can arrest or take down people as needed, INCLUDING by lethal force. Later, those actions can be reviewed for appropriateness by a court. BUT NOT BEFORE as a blanket protection against action by officers.
Law officers KNOW that their actions are subject to review but they also KNOW they can make decisions on the spur of the moment to control the situation and protect themselves and others, based on the assessment at the time. If officers take reasonable actions at the time, they are protected against recrimination by after the fact review.
THIS is why protesters that get in the face of officers are at significant risk. THIS is why if you are told to leave or stand aside and you do not follow that command, you can be in deep trouble and at significant risk. People that confront officers are, by definition, CONFRONTATIONAL (tending to deal with situations in an aggressive way; hostile or argumentative) and NOT peaceful.
Liberals love to redefine language in their favor. Confrontational does NOT = peaceful.
10 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 1/17/2026 9:43:41 AM (No. 2056217)
If she actually thinks that these mobs are peaceful, just withdraw all cops and troops and tell them not to enforce the law, and let Minneapolis burn to the ground. It will be a looters' paradise.
7 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
Pook60 1/17/2026 12:43:17 PM (No. 2056320)
How would the judge react to a peaceful protest in her courtroom?
4 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
MickTurn 1/17/2026 12:58:29 PM (No. 2056331)
The Leftists are NOT protesters, they are a Vicious MOB.
SO Judgie, WHEN one of your protesters shoots an Ice Agent, is that protesting? Inquiring minds want to KNOW!
5 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
doctorfixit 1/17/2026 1:52:54 PM (No. 2056366)
Federal judges are forcing national suicide. Get rid of the federal judiciary by any means necessary.
2 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
rikkitikki 1/17/2026 2:46:28 PM (No. 2056381)
When a sitting judge rules that officers of the state cannot enforce the law, we are all in deep shlt.
2 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
rikkitikki 1/17/2026 2:48:35 PM (No. 2056382)
So...how does this ruling square with the peaceful protestors targeted during the Jan 6 prosecutions?
1 person likes this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
danu 1/17/2026 4:47:12 PM (No. 2056436)
right-eo ....we're certain the peaceniks running their cars into ice agents, to injure them, are warm cosy
and showering the auntiefoofoos w/ homemade coffee cake and bottle rockets. she's secured by squads
of guards, police, and vicious leftoid crackpots paid to protect her from the citizenry.
as w/ scotus, these entitledementos ought to buy their own security on their own dime.
0 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
Griller1 1/17/2026 5:59:57 PM (No. 2056466)
Who is to define the term "peaceful?"
1 person likes this.
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