‘Trying to protect my people’: Man in Minneapolis seen with guns against ICE agents; viral video sparks concern

A rifle-armed man was seen standing outside a home in Minnesota’s St. Paul, reportedly guarding the property after multiple raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the area, according to a video circulating on social media.In the clip, the armed resident can be heard saying, “This is my block, this is my area. I don’t go around other people’s neighbourhoods trying to intimidate them. I’m trying to protect my people,” adding that “at least 30, or 40 or 50” people had gathered nearby.The video has surfaced amid heightened tensions across the Minneapolis–St Paul region following a large federal immigration enforcement operation and a recent court order restricting how agents interact with protesters. It follows a series of recent violent encounters linked to federal immigration activity this month. On January 14, a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during a targeted traffic stop in North Minneapolis. DHS said the man fled and struggled with officers before the shooting. Earlier on January 7, an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old American woman Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis during an enforcement action . On Friday, US District Judge Katherine Menendez issued an 83-page preliminary injunction barring federal immigration officers in Minnesota from arresting or detaining individuals engaged in “peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” and from retaliating against protected speech using tear gas, pepper spray or other crowd-control measures.The judge ruled that officers may not arrest individuals without probable cause or reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed or that officers are being obstructed. She further directed that vehicles cannot be stopped without reasonable suspicion, noting that “safely following agents at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion,” according to the Associated Press.According to the White House, the US Second Amendment has preserved the American people's right to protect themselves, their families, and freedoms since the nation's founding stating "Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed."