Minneapolis on Edge as ICE Raids Intensify After Fatal Shooting of Local Resident
Rich Matthews and BJ Lewis
As Minneapolis mourns Rene Good, a resident fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent last Wednesday, federal immigration raids have expanded across the city, with agents moving in armed caravans through immigrant neighborhoods and detaining people on the streets, according to reporting by Context Corner correspondent Rich Matthews said he spent the entire day accompanying ICE and Border Patrol teams as they carried out at least five or six detentions in Somali and Hispanic communities, describing the scale of operations as “extraordinary” and unlike anything he has seen in his career.
Raids on the Streets, “They Just Stopped People They Saw”
Matthews explained that some ICE actions are based on warrants for people accused of crimes or overstaying visas, but many of the detentions he witnessed on Saturday involved on‑the‑spot street stops. At one bus stop, agents exited SUVs, questioned everyone about their citizenship, and took away one non‑citizen in handcuffs; at another location, they pulled over to question a man walking alone and placed him in cuffs within minutes, Matthews reported.
The correspondent said agents were operating in visible caravans of four to six officers in large SUVs, wearing masks that have become controversial in the community.
“What is raising some eyebrows, including my own, is this just driving around in caravans, getting out as armed men and just stopping people and asking them for their papers,” he said, stressing that while border enforcement is a normal function of any state, the tactics he observed “just don’t seem very American” to many Minneapolis residents.
Pressure Campaign and Alleged Fraud Videos
Matthews linked the heightened federal activity to political pressure over alleged public benefits fraud highlighted in recent viral videos by a self‑styled citizen journalist, whose work has been amplified in right‑wing circles. He noted that the journalist is “very right‑wing, very extremist” and “very anti‑Muslim,” and had recently covered an anti‑Muslim protest outside the Epic Mosque in North Texas, where Context Corner previously documented his presence.
Despite serious questions about the accuracy and fairness of those videos, Matthews said they appear to have influenced policy: the Trump administration dispatched the Secretary of the Treasury to Minnesota, and the secretary publicly pledged to “crack down” on fraud, which Matthews believes helped trigger stepped‑up raids in Somali communities. “Does he maybe have something? There might be some fraud… but I certainly think it’s been blown out of proportion,” Matthews told Context Corner, warning that broad enforcement sweeps risk tarring entire communities based on incomplete or biased material.
Community Outrage, Mass Protests, and Rising Tensions
The aggressive enforcement posture has sparked sustained protests, including what Matthews described as one of the largest marches he has ever covered, a demonstration involving “thousands and thousands and thousands of people” that took nearly an hour to pass his camera position during Saturday’s march for Reuters. Protesters have confronted ICE and Border Patrol teams on the streets, shouting “ICE, get out” and calling for an end to raids they see as targeting their neighbors and fellow congregants, particularly in the city’s large Somali and Hispanic communities.
Matthews said crowds often pour out of homes as soon as ICE vehicles arrive, yelling at agents, throwing snowballs, and in some cases blocking SUVs, behavior he described as dangerous for both residents and officers. “It is not safe when you’re throwing snowballs at people with guns… It just makes the whole thing a powder keg,” he warned, noting that agents must now monitor both the people they are detaining and the crowds gathering around them.
Faith Leaders Urge Protesters: “Stay Strong, But Stay Safe”
Local community and faith leaders have tried to channel public anger into a sustained, nonviolent protest. Matthews said the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been “at a lot of these protests” alongside Christian, Jewish, and other faith leaders, addressing crowds from protest platforms. Their message, he said, has focused on encouraging people to “stay strong, let your voices be heard, but stay safe,” emphasizing the risks of direct confrontation with armed officers.
Matthews also reflected on the media’s role, acknowledging that his presence with a camera may “raise the stress level” during arrests, as neither protesters nor law enforcement like being recorded at close range. He stressed that he is “a journalist, not an activist,” and underscored that most countries maintain some form of border control, but he remains concerned that the current tactics and community response could lead to more injuries like the shooting of Rene Good.
Administration Doubles Down as Uncertainty Grows
Despite mounting protests and local anger over Good’s death, the federal government has shown no sign of pulling back. Matthews reported that the head of Border Patrol has visited Minneapolis multiple times, including on the day of the shooting, and has personally led some of the recent raids, which he described as a symbolic show of resolve by the Trump administration. “The current administration doesn’t take threats very well… they tend to double down when pressured like this, and they’re doing that right now,” he said, adding that more agents have already been surged into the area and further reinforcements are expected.
As weekday routines resume after weekend demonstrations, Matthews said he expects fewer working‑age residents to remain on the streets, but predicted that “agitators and protesters” will continue to track ICE caravans and document detentions. With investigations into Good’s killing still pending and no clear de‑escalation plan from Washington, Minneapolis remains on edge, caught between intensified federal enforcement and a diverse, immigrant‑rich community determined to oppose raids it sees as unjust and dangerous.