Minneapolis Pastor Says He Was Detained by ICE After Joining Protest, Told ‘You’re White’ and ‘Wouldn’t Be Any Fun Anyway’ on Release

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Pastor Kenny Callaghan says he was detained by ICE as he headed to a protest near his church in Minneapolis

• He told Fox 9 Minneapolis that agents repeatedly asked him, “Are you scared now?” He said he asked. while handcuffed inside an SUV

• Callahan said he was eventually released after an agent told him, “You’re white and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway.”

A Minneapolis pastor said he was detained by ICE while heading to protests near his church. Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC shared his account with: Fox 9 MinneapolisHe said the encounter took place on Wednesday morning, January 7.

Callaghan said he realized something was nearby when he heard whistling and car horns outside. He said he blew his own whistle and moved towards chaos as the situation quickly escalated.

He told Fox 9 he managed to take a few photos as the vehicle drove down Portland Boulevard, then pocketed his phone and noticed agents surrounding a “brown-skinned female.”

Callaghan said he joined in when the crowd chanted “We are not afraid” and tried to direct attention to himself by telling the agents to arrest him instead of the woman around them.

“Before I knew it, they put handcuffs on my arms and asked me, ‘Are you scared now?’ they asked. he recalled.

“No, I’m not,” he replied as agents continued to detain him. Callaghan told Fox 9 that he was held in the SUV with two other detainees, with agents returning multiple times to question him.

Callaghan said the message remained the same during checks, with agents constantly asking if anyone was afraid. He also said that they asked for his ID and phone while waiting behind the vehicle.

Callaghan said at one point he asked him if he was under arrest and was then left alone for a while. He also told Fox 9 that an agent allegedly pointed a gun at his face and fear flickered for a moment, but was quickly replaced by anger.

“Then they came back for the last time and said, ‘Aren’t you scared yet?’ they said. he said. “And I said, ‘No.’ “

Callaghan said he was eventually released after an agent made a remark he described as both condescending and offensive. “Well, you’re white and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway. Get out of the car,” he recalled being told.

Callaghan said he was detained for less than an hour but walked away feeling shaken by what he believed the interaction had revealed. “I was now faced with the reality that these ICE agents who were supposed to be keeping my neighborhood safe were actually there for sport,” he said.

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Despite what he described as a frightening encounter, Callaghan told Fox 9 he wouldn’t hesitate to intervene again. “I will always stand up for people who are mistreated simply because they are human,” he said, adding: “It’s not right. It’s wrong.”

PEOPLE did not immediately hear from DHS and ICE when contacted for comment.

The incident involving Callaghan occurred amid unrest in Minneapolis after the driver Renee Nicole GoodA 37-year-old mother was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an immigration enforcement operation.

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