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By Mandy Taheri and Jason Lemon
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Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 16 people have been arrested in Minnesota for allegedly "assaulting federal law enforcement" amid ongoing protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the state.
Why It Matters
Tensions over federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and elsewhere have intensified in recent days after federal agents fatally shot 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti. The killing came just days after ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, and after another encounter in the city left Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis wounded during an attempted arrest, authorities said.
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What To Know
Bondi wrote in a Wednesday afternoon X post, "I am on the ground in Minneapolis today. Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement agents. We expect more arrests to come."
She said they were arrested under 18 U.S. Code § 111, which states, "Whoever forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person designated in section 1114 of this title while engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."
She included a list of protesters who had been detained, as well as photos in additional posts. Those arrested are:
- Christina Rank
- Abdikadir Noor
- Madeline Tschida
- Nitzana Flores
- Helicity Borowska
- Quentin Williams
- William Vermie
- Paul Johnson
- Gillian Etherington
- Joshua Doyle
- Kirubele Adbebe
- Margaret Sager
- Ilan Wilson-Soler
- Nasra Ahmed
- Alice Valentine
- Matrim Charlebois
Details of the protest or the demonstrator's behavior were not provided in the posts.
Reuters identified Abdikadir Noor as the same individual listed by that name as a plaintiff in a civil suit against the Trump administration, alleging immigration officers have been using excessive force against protestors. The recently filed case, which Newsweek reviewed, notes that Noor is a 42-year-old Somali American with U.S. citizenship.
Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was previously detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for several days earlier this month. She spoke out about the detention publicly after she was released.
"I got kidnapped by ICE. They came to my neighborhood, they took me, arrested me and detained me for two days. An ICE agent called me a racial slur," Ahmed said. "ICE asked to see my ID and decided it was nice to be racist and say really nasty things to me. They pushed me hard, they used a lot of violence, I got a concussion. I was screaming, I was crying, I was so scared. I’ve never been arrested in my life."
When Newsweek previously asked the Department of Homeland Security about Ahmed's detention by ICE, a spokesperson said: “Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone—including U.S. citizens—who assault law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Assaulting law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime.”
Some online commentators have called out HSI for hiding their faces while posting photos of the protestors, part of a larger argument of immigration officials' masking and hiding their identities, which DHS has said is necessary to protect them from doxing and harassment.
DHS has previously posted photos of protestors who have been arrested. In a January 10 X post, DHS wrote, "Welcome to the Find Out stage. On January 7, Border Patrol Agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota arrested four individuals on federal charges for assaulting law enforcement. Absolutely NO violence against federal agents will be tolerated. Assaulting a federal agent is a CRIME!," alongside headshots of four individuals.
What People Are Saying
America, a PAC funded by Elon Musk, shared a compilation of the protestors' photos in an X post, writing: "BREAKING: DOJ arrests multiple individuals in Minneapolis, charges them under 18 U.S. Code § 111 (Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees)."
Department of Homeland Security's X account shared photos of the protestors, writing: "These violent Anti-ICE anarchists will not deter DHS law enforcement from arresting and deporting the worst of the worst in Minnesota. They are fighting to keep rapists, murders, drug dealers, and predators in their community. You will not stop us. This administration will not be intimidated."
What Happens Next
Details about the arrest are expected to unfold soon. Other Trump administration officials are also in Minneapolis following the killing of Pretti, including border czar Tom Homan.
Update 1/28/26, 5:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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