Federal agents in Minneapolis are using the threat of violence to intimidate protesters following the killing of Renee Good, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. They have repeatedly invoked Good's death during confrontations with protesters, which many interpret as a veiled threat aimed at scaring people away from demonstrations.
According to Phil Maddox, a local resident who recorded a video of the incident on Sunday, agents told him that if he continued to follow them, they would "shoot" him. The agent added that those who did not learn their lesson after Good's death were being targeted by law enforcement.
"This is a classic situation of overreacting, over-policing, and ultimately using excessive force," said Andrew G. Celli Jr., an attorney specializing in police misconduct and constitutional rights. "It's tragic but predictable that the reaction has been as strong as it has been."
The use of deadly force by ICE officers has sparked widespread outrage in Minneapolis, with thousands of agents deployed in phases as part of a massive immigration crackdown. The deployment of federal agents has led to clashes between protesters and law enforcement, with agents using tear gas, pepper spray, and other tactics to disperse crowds.
Protesters have been accused of impeding the efforts of federal agents, but filming police is not a crime. However, many are facing arrest or harassment for simply exercising their constitutional right to record law enforcement in public places.
The Intercept reported that hundreds more federal agents were deployed to the region on Sunday, adding to the over 2,000 agents who made up the surge that began on January 6.
"This is not hyperbole," said Ben Messig, The Intercept's editor-in-chief. "We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government's full powers to dismantle the free press."
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back, but it needs the support of its readers to continue doing so effectively.
To help The Intercept expand its reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026, you can become a member today.
According to Phil Maddox, a local resident who recorded a video of the incident on Sunday, agents told him that if he continued to follow them, they would "shoot" him. The agent added that those who did not learn their lesson after Good's death were being targeted by law enforcement.
"This is a classic situation of overreacting, over-policing, and ultimately using excessive force," said Andrew G. Celli Jr., an attorney specializing in police misconduct and constitutional rights. "It's tragic but predictable that the reaction has been as strong as it has been."
The use of deadly force by ICE officers has sparked widespread outrage in Minneapolis, with thousands of agents deployed in phases as part of a massive immigration crackdown. The deployment of federal agents has led to clashes between protesters and law enforcement, with agents using tear gas, pepper spray, and other tactics to disperse crowds.
Protesters have been accused of impeding the efforts of federal agents, but filming police is not a crime. However, many are facing arrest or harassment for simply exercising their constitutional right to record law enforcement in public places.
The Intercept reported that hundreds more federal agents were deployed to the region on Sunday, adding to the over 2,000 agents who made up the surge that began on January 6.
"This is not hyperbole," said Ben Messig, The Intercept's editor-in-chief. "We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government's full powers to dismantle the free press."
The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world. In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back, but it needs the support of its readers to continue doing so effectively.
To help The Intercept expand its reporting capacity in time to hit the ground running in 2026, you can become a member today.
gotta ask, what's next? They're already using violence to silence protesters, and now they wanna crack down on journalists too? It's like they think we're all just gonna roll over and let them do whatever they want... Newsflash: the media's not going down without a fight. We need more outlets like The Intercept holding these powers in check. If you care about freedom of speech, become a member today 
. These agents are actin' like they're tryna scare people off from speakin' out against ICE's policies. It's all about keepin' the status quo and no one's gonna rock the boat 
. The fact that they're usin' deadly force and threatenin' innocent bystanders is just ridiculous 
. And don't even get me started on the whole filming police thing – it's like, you can't even record law enforcement without gettin' harassed or arrested 
. The Intercept is doin' some good reporting here, but we need more people to support 'em so they can keep exposin' the truth 
This whole thing is just wrong 
. They're using threats to silence people who are just trying to hold ICE accountable for Renee Good's death. It's like they think they own the streets and anyone who disagrees with them should be scared off, not protected by the law. Newsflash: it doesn't work that way! 
You can't bully your way out of accountability. The fact that filming police is being turned into a crime is just another symptom of how out of control these agents are. We need to stand up for our rights and support organizations like The Intercept who are fighting against this kind of abuse of power 
federal agents are literally using violence as a threat to intimidate protesters and it's just so messed up 
news outlets are saying this is classic police overreach and its kinda scary how much power they think they have 
i personally cant even record cops on my phone without getting harassed 
how r we supposed to hold those in power accountable if we cant document the truth 
Law enforcement should be protecting everyone's rights, not intimidating them into silence. The fact that they're filming protesters and arresting them for exercising their 1st amendment rights is just another example of how out of control things have gotten. It's like, if you can't handle the truth or a little bit of free speech, then maybe you shouldn't be in law enforcement. 
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this is just getting outta hand 
. how can we trust our government when they're using such tactics? 
. The government needs to find a better way to handle these situations instead of resorting to intimidation tactics 
. And can we talk about the state of our democracy? It feels like we're seeing more and more authoritarian behavior from our leaders, which is just alarming 
. Anyway, I'm definitely supporting The Intercept with their mission to hold those in power accountable 
all these federal agents deployed and protesters getting arrested for filming police 
it's like they're trying to suppress the truth or something 
please help them keep fighting for democracy 
. The Intercept is right though, our president seems to be going all out against truth and the free press, and it's getting scary 