WASHINGTON: A US judge on Friday restricted federal agents from interfering with peaceful protesters in Minnesota, ordering immigration agents to dial back aggressive tactics shortly after President Donald Trump said there was no immediate need to invoke the Insurrection Act regarding the demonstrations.
US District Judge Katherine Menendez barred the detention or arrest of peaceful protesters and drivers, as well as the use of pepper spray against demonstrators.
The 83-page order gives the Department of Homeland Security’s current operation in the northern US city 72 hours to come into compliance.
The ruling follows two incidents in which federal agents opened fire, killing one person and wounding another in the span of a week.
In a separate move potentially inflaming the standoff between the White House and Minnesota officials, CBS News reported that the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Gov Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for impeding federal officers.
Both Democrats have called for peaceful protests against immigration sweeps in their state.
“This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city,” Frey wrote on X on Friday.
Walz noted that the Trump administration has moved to investigate other Democrats who have opposed the president’s policies. He pointed to the Jan 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.
“The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her,” Walz wrote on X.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2026