Hundreds of protesters surrounded a downtown Minneapolis hotel in a coordinated effort to force federal immigration agents from their lodging, marking a dangerous escalation in tactics targeting law enforcement officers in their off-duty hours.
Story Highlights
- Protesters mobilized rapidly to target the Canopy by Hilton hotel where ICE agents were staying
- Demonstrators used drums, trumpets, and aggressive chants while some entered the hotel interior
- The protest followed the fatal shooting of activist Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent days earlier
- Minneapolis police maintained a hands-off approach, monitoring from a distance without intervening
- Similar hotel-targeting tactics have successfully forced federal agents to relocate in other cities
Federal Agents Become Moving Targets
Federal immigration enforcement has entered uncharted territory where agents face organized harassment at their temporary lodging. The Canopy by Hilton became ground zero for a new tactic that blurs the line between legitimate protest and targeted intimidation of law enforcement personnel.
The crowd of several hundred demonstrators didn’t just gather outside. They brought musical instruments, noisemakers, and enough determination to penetrate the hotel’s interior spaces. Their message was clear: federal agents weren’t welcome to rest peacefully in Minneapolis.
Strategic Coordination Behind the Chaos
This wasn’t a spontaneous gathering. The rapid mobilization reveals sophisticated intelligence networks tracking federal personnel movements in real time. Protesters demonstrated they could identify where agents were staying and organize hundreds of people within hours to respond.
When the primary demonstration at the Canopy by Hilton reached its peak, a splinter group of approximately 100 protesters peeled off to target the Renaissance Hotel by the Depot. This secondary action suggests coordinated planning and multiple intelligence sources feeding information to organizers about federal agent locations.
Police Stand Down Creates Dangerous Precedent
Minneapolis police chose a monitoring approach over active crowd control, a decision that may embolden similar actions nationwide. The hands-off posture reflects the city’s ongoing struggle with policing controversies since George Floyd’s death, but it raises serious questions about protecting federal law enforcement officers.
This police response stands in stark contrast to how officers typically handle situations involving harassment of other government officials or law enforcement personnel. The decision to let protesters operate largely unimpeded while targeting federal agents sends a troubling message about selective enforcement and political considerations overriding public safety.
Sources:
Protests against mass deportation during the second Trump administration
Anti-ICE protests held across multiple cities
