Minneapolis has remained on edge as immigration enforcement activity, protests, and heightened security around schools continue following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier this month.
The shooting has become a focal point for escalating tensions across the city, prompting community-led safety efforts, legal challenges, and increased federal and state responses as immigration operations expand in the metropolitan area.
Residents, educators, and parents describe a climate of fear and uncertainty that has widened beyond protest sites and into neighborhoods, schools, and daily routines.
In response to the expanded deployment of roughly 3,000 federal agents across the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, parents and community members have organized patrols outside schools to monitor potential immigration enforcement activity.
Volunteers equipped with whistles and walkie-talkies have taken shifts outside campuses, including bilingual schools near the site of Good’s death, watching for federal agents and alerting others if they appear.
Peter Brown, an 81-year-old retired lawyer standing guard outside Green Central Elementary, said, "I never did like bullies, and that's what the federal government has become."
Some parents have begun escorting foreign-born teachers and staff to and from schools, while others deliver groceries and medicine to immigrant families reluctant to leave their homes.
School officials report that contracted transportation vans have been stopped by ICE agents and that parents have been detained near bus stops, leading some students to switch temporarily to online learning.
As protests spread and clashes with federal agents have been reported, a U.S. federal judge issued an order limiting ICE crowd control tactics against peaceful demonstrators.
The ruling restricts arrests, vehicle stops, and the use of pepper spray or similar tools against protesters who are not obstructing enforcement activity.
Minnesota officials have urged demonstrators to remain peaceful as the National Guard was placed on alert ahead of anticipated protests and counter-marches.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said it is focused on convicted criminals and protecting officers, while denying that schools are being targeted.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has announced investigations into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over alleged interference with federal immigration operations, adding to the political strain surrounding the enforcement surge.