Minnesota judge bars federal officers from tear gas on peaceful protesters

A Minnesota judge issued an order Friday barring federal officers from detaining or using tear gas on peaceful protesters who did not obstruct authorities while participating in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez’s order restricting the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal agents comes amid ongoing protests and rising tensions in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Minnesota resident Renee Good earlier this month.

The order prohibits officers from retaliating against people who peacefully protest or observe the actions of immigration officers and adds that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone is committing a crime or interfering with law enforcement operations.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said after the ruling that the First Amendment does not protect “riots,” adding that DHS “takes appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”

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“We remind the public that rioting is dangerous; obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and attacking law enforcement is a felony,” McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he said. “Rioters and terrorists attacked law enforcement officers, threw fireworks at them, slashed their vehicle tires, and damaged federal property. Others chose to ignore orders and attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers.”

“Attacking and obstructing law enforcement is a crime,” McLaughlin added.

“Despite these serious threats and dangerous situations, our law enforcement officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property,” he said.

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Federal immigration officers confront protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 15, 2026. (Mustafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Under the order, federal agents cannot use pepper spray or other non-lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against peaceful protesters in the ruling states.

Additionally, Menendez wrote that following officers safely from an appropriate distance did not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion that would justify stopping the vehicle.

The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who alleged government officials violated the constitutional rights of Twin City residents.

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Federal agents deal with agitators outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 14, 2026. (Jamie Vera/Fox News)

Government attorneys said officers acted within their legal authority and with force when enforcing immigration laws across the country and in Minnesota.

The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis follows two recent shootings involving ICE agents in the city.

Good died on Jan. 7 when an ICE agent, who was allegedly trying to run him over, fired into his vehicle through the driver’s side windshield and open window. The fact that he said “f—ing b—h” was heard in the video when his car crashed into a parked car.

Democrats and local residents condemned the attack as murder and called for the agent to be prosecuted, while the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers defended the incident, arguing it was a justified shooting.

Law enforcement members work at the scene after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent during federal operations on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Then, in a separate incident on Wednesday, an ICE officer was seriously injured after he was allegedly ambushed by three illegal immigrants during a traffic stop, according to federal authorities. Authorities said that one of the suspects was shot and all three were detained after traffic targeting a Venezuelan national turned into a foot chase and violent fight.

Menendez will meet with the state of Minnesota on Monday in Minneapolis and St. He is presiding over a separate lawsuit filed by the cities of St. Paul seeking to suspend enforcement.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and the Associated Press contributed to this report.