Judge Limits ICE Crowd-Control Tactics as Tear Gas Traps Family in Minneapolis
A judge limited ICE crowd-control tactics in Minneapolis as tear gas trapped a family with six children, prompting medical care and renewed national legal scrutiny.
Overview
Judge Menendez's preliminary injunction bans federal agents in Operation Metro Surge from detaining, using pepper spray or other nonlethal munitions against peaceful protesters and observers.
The order remains in effect until the federal operation ends or conditions change and requires probable cause or reasonable suspicion before arrests or vehicle stops.
Destiny Jackson and her family of eight were tear-gassed inside their car while caught between ICE agents and protesters; her six-month-old required CPR and hospital care.
DHS and Border Patrol defended crowd-control measures as necessary against violent demonstrators, while local officials and the ACLU argued the injunction protects constitutional protest rights.
The ruling comes amid heightened tensions after ICE agent Renee Good's fatal shooting, increased federal deployments, parallel legal challenges, and officials' calls to de-escalate.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present modest framing: they foreground judicial protections for protesters and the consequences of a fatal ICE shooting while contextualizing a large federal 'surge' and possible active-duty deployment. Editorial choices—selecting troop background, emphasizing civil‑liberties injunctions, and privileging state/local voices—tilt coverage toward scrutiny of federal tactics.
Sources (23)
FAQ
The preliminary injunction bans ICE agents in Operation Metro Surge from detaining, arresting, using pepper spray, tear gas, or other nonlethal munitions against peaceful protesters and observers, and requires probable cause or reasonable suspicion for arrests or vehicle stops.
Destiny Jackson and her family of eight, including a six-month-old, were tear-gassed inside their car while caught between ICE agents and protesters; the infant required CPR and hospital care.
Protests erupted after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good on January 7, and another federal officer shot a man in the leg after being attacked; this followed a massive ICE deployment of nearly 3,000 agents.
Operation Metro Surge is the deployment of nearly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents to the Minneapolis region to arrest immigrants in the U.S. illegally and investigate fraud.
DHS defended crowd-control measures as necessary against violent demonstrators; local officials like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz support de-escalation and face a Justice Department probe for allegedly impeding federal agents.
History
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