01/10/2026
NEW: DHS and Protesters Face off at Whipple Federal Building
Friday morning, Department of Homeland Security officers marched down a drive-way of the B. H. Whipple federal building that was being used exclusively as an entrance and exit for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents spread throughout Minneapolis as part of a surge in immigration enforcement by the federal government. On the opposite side of the street, dozens of protesters shouted at the men.
“Shame!” A man shouted. “F**k you, you traitors to the republic!”
The officers, arrayed in a mis-matched assortment of denim and camouflage with no particular uniform, continued their march, firing pepper balls into the crowd to force the protesters off the road.
“Back up!” One agent yelled, balls cracking against the asphalt and exploding into noxious white fumes. “Back the f**k up!”
Through tears and coughs, protesters continued berating the officers, hacking and wheezing though the chemicals as sirens blared from bull horns. Reporters, which numbered in the dozens, stumbled over each other to get the best angles.
This was the second day of protests at the Whipple building. The first – held just the day prior – was an escalation of protest tactics in response to the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Since then, the federal building has been the site of over a dozen arrests as protesters chant and ridicule the agents, shaming them as they enter and leave the facility while others attempt to block the roadway.
Agents shot less lethal rounds and arrested at least two protesters gathered outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minnesota.
