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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Federal agents smashed a car window and dragged a man from a vehicle during an immigration enforcement operation at a gas station in Minnesota, footage shows.
The incident occurred on January 11 in St. Paul. A video posted by Ford Fischer of News2Share shows Border Patrol agents surrounding a parked vehicle, breaking a window, pulling a man wearing a brown jacket from the car, forcing him to the ground, and taking him into custody as a crowd of onlookers gathered nearby.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek in a statement "while conducting operations, Border Patrol arrested an illegal alien from Honduras who was issued a final order of removal in 2020."
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“The subject refused to obey lawfully given orders and during that time a crowd formed. After multiple warnings and several minutes, Border Patrol broke the vehicles window and arrested the illegal alien," the agency spokesperson said. "During the arrest, the crowd continued to surround Border Patrol who tried to push them back for the safety of everyone. One U.S. citizen did not comply with the lawfully given order and instead responded by hitting an officer and was arrested.”
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Why It Matters
Minnesota has become a focal point in the national conversation surrounding immigration enforcement after a federal agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good during an operation in Minneapolis earlier this month, an incident that sparked nationwide protests. In the aftermath of the shooting, DHS has increased resources in the state under Operation Metro Surge, citing ongoing investigations, including a large-scale fraud probe.
While the Trump administration has defended the shooting and the expanded enforcement effort, local leaders have disputed the government’s account, pointing to video footage they say contradicts official statements.
What To Know
In the footage, Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino is heard repeatedly ordering bystanders to move back as agents carry out the arrest. At one point, agents appear to fire pepper balls toward the crowd as people shout and film the agents.
A second individual was also detained during the incident, Fox News reported.
Both men were carried away by federal agents, while onlookers continued to protest and film.
Authorities have not publicly identified the men taken into custody or released information about their immigration status. Federal officials have not said what prompted the enforcement action, whether the men were the targets of an immigration operation, or whether they were detained for interfering with federal officers.
More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, according to DHS.
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What People Are Saying
Angel Castillo Saldana, a resident who arrived at the scene after the incident, told FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul: "I got here to a lot of people confused, that’s what I got here to. Not knowing what just happened. I seen some videos of them taking him by all fours, a U.S. citizen born here in St. Paul, for exercising his rights. Recording ICE on a private property, and they took him. They grabbed him by all fours like he was a f******* animal and took him. For exercising his rights, that’s b*******."
**News2Share Editor-in-Chief Ford Fischer wrote on X alongside the video: "**Border Patrol federal agents in St Paul break the window of what appears to be an activist in a gas station, pull him out of the car and arrest him while firing pepper balls at other activists crowding around the scene."
Update 1/13/2026, 3:21 a. m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the Department of Homeland Security.
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