• A federal judge has prohibited ICE agents from detaining or using pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minneapolis.
• The ruling comes after an ICE agent fatally shot resident Renee Good, escalating tensions in the area.
• The Department of Homeland Security has been given 72 hours to comply with the court's order.

A U.S. District Judge, Kate Menendez, has ruled that federal immigration agents are barred from detaining or using non-lethal means like pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minneapolis. This decision, stemming from a case brought by local activists, aims to protect individuals engaged in "peaceful and unobstructive protest activity" amid the Trump administration's escalating immigration enforcement actions in the area, described as the largest such operation in U.S. history, with numbers of agents approaching 3,000, significantly outnumbering local police forces in the Twin Cities, according to CBS News, Reuters, and Los Angeles Times.

This ruling comes in the wake of heightened tensions following the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent, which has drawn widespread protests against the agency's actions. Judge Menendez emphasized that law enforcement cannot detain individuals without "reasonable suspicion" that they are committing a crime, noting that merely observing law enforcement activities does not justify such actions, as reported by India Times, NPR, and Channel News Asia.

The ruling, which details the court's injunction against ICE's previous conduct, mandates compliance from the Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours. Activists welcomed this decision as a significant victory, while the DHS has stated it intends to uphold the law while protecting officers and the general public, citing allegations of rioting against some protesters, according to Al Jazeera and BBC.

Following the ruling, the state of Minnesota has raised concerns over potential intimidation from the federal government, with Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey under investigation by the Justice Department for alleged obstruction. This inquiry has been criticized by both officials as a tactic to silence dissent, highlighting ongoing tensions in the region over the heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics being used, as noted by Los Angeles Times, Reuters, and India Times.