Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota was on full display Tuesday, when activists and protestors swarmed federal agents and blocked Minneapolis’ streets in what they thought was an ICE raid.
FBI agents showed up to execute a search warrant for drugs and money laundering at Las Cuatro Milpas, a Minneapolis taco restaurant near Bloomington Avenue and East Lake Street.
Five years ago, the same neighborhood erupted in violence as protestors clashed with police following the murder of George Floyd.
Several news outlets reported false rumors of an ICE raid sparked more people to show up, as elected officials posted “highly irresponsible” information online suggesting a criminal search warrant was an ICE operation, police said.
“The information that came out on social media from elected officials was highly irresponsible,” Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said Wednesday, as reported by Fox News Digital.
“Yesterday’s incident was a criminal investigation,” she added. “So, putting out the rhetoric that that was a raid, it was not a raid…. Elected officials have a responsibility to the constituents to put out accurate information. They don’t have to agree with it, but do not mislead the public, causing more harm to our communities.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey later confirmed to reporters the federal raid was not related to immigration.
“This incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,” Frey said in a statement. “No arrests were made.”
Still, it didn’t take long for protestors and immigration rights’ activists to spread the word and draw more people to the neighborhood before noon on a rainy Tuesday. The crowd grew within minutes, as did their chants for members of the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office on scene to leave.
WCCO-CBS Minnesota reported chaos and confusion erupted as the crowd clashed with federal law officers. Officers wearing the uniforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the criminal investigation arm of the IRS surrounded Las Cuatro Milpas on East Lake Street.
Officers emerged from the building Tuesday afternoon with boxes loaded into a van. As the federal agents attempted to leave, the crowd blocked police vehicles, including armored vehicles, by throwing garbage cans, tires, traffic cones, bicycles, and whatever they could find. Pop bottles and bricks were also hurled at police officers.
WCCO reporter Reg Chapman and photojournalist Chris Cruz got caught in the mayhem.
“It just instantly got violent, and people were trying to stop them,” witness Brandon Bazile told WCCO. “I don’t think they realized the community would respond so quick and kind of create a human barrier, so you can kind of see them strategizing a plan to get people out.”
Independent journalist and YouTuber Nick Shirley happened in be in Minneapolis and was driving when he headed to the protest. He posted the live footage Tuesday, showing protestors spitting at police, antagonizing them, and chanting “Shame on you” and “Whose streets? Our streets.”
The entourage included FBI agents in fatigues and armored vehicles. As officers and deputies escorted federal agents down Lake Street, Shirley’s video shows officers and federal ATF police pushing protestors out of the way. They attempted to disperse the crowd with pepper spray and piercing sirens.
Shirley spoke to a local police officer who suspected it was more than an ICE raid. He said DEA specifically shows up when drugs are involved.
“I don’t want to say much, but I know a lot of owners here are involved in shady stuff, so maybe they were involved, too,” the police officer said. “I mean, DEA doesn’t just show up for ICE raids like that….I think ICE was just here because they’re Mexican owners.”
The protestors also wrote on the armored vehicles. One told Shirley when he asked what they want to tell police: “Get the f*ck out. Abolish the police.”
Erika Zurwoski, from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, told WCCO the Minneapolis Police Department should not be working with federal agents.
“We are a sanctuary city,” she said. “The community will not allow it.”
WCCO went to the courthouse and found federal search warrants connected to the raid, but they were sealed, CBS News reported.
After Tuesday’s chaotic scene, an ICE spokesperson put out a statement that the operation was Minnesota’s first under President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security Task Force.
“From drug smuggling to criminal labor trafficking, this operation showcases the breadth of our collective missions and the strength of a united front,” said Jamie Holt, special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul.
Trump established the task force via executive order on the first day of his second term. Holt thanked 11 federal partners and local law enforcement for their assistance.
“Together, we are safeguarding communities, protecting national security, and setting a new standard of joint enforcement efforts,” Holt said.
In a statement posted to social media, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was “not related to immigration enforcement.” The sheriff’s office said it has no involvement in civil immigration enforcement but does assist federal authorities on criminal investigations and enforcement.
— Hennepin Sheriff (@HennepinSheriff) June 3, 2025
Sheriff Witt told reporters on Wednesday, “It is not okay for people to obstruct law enforcement when we are trying to obtain evidence.”
Tuesday’s clash with law enforcement is the latest in a growing number of incidents across the country as ICE tries to carry out the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.
