Breaking — Federal Judge Bars ICE From Attacking Peaceful Protesters

An 83-page ruling orders agents to stop arresting, pepper-spraying, and pointing guns at Americans who are watching. The White House calls it "absurd."

While others stenograph, grift, or chase the next distraction—this is the news that matters and how it’s connected.

Susan Tincher wanted to record an immigration arrest in her neighborhood. She asked the agents if they were ICE.

They arrested her and pinned her to the ground.¹

Two other Minneapolis residents followed an unmarked vehicle they suspected belonged to immigration enforcement. Masked agents surrounded their car and pointed semiautomatic weapons at them.¹

This is what it looks like when the federal government punishes Americans for watching.

On Friday, Judge Kate Menendez said stop.¹²³ Her 83-page ruling bars ICE from arresting peaceful protesters, using pepper spray against demonstrators, and stopping vehicles that maintain a safe distance. The order stays in effect until Operation Metro Surge ends—or “until conditions change.”¹

The White House response? “Absurd.”

“This absurd ruling embraces a dishonest, left-wing narrative,” spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.² Translation: a federal court ruled that attacking Americans for exercising constitutional rights violates the Constitution. The administration’s position is that the court is lying.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin added: “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly—not rioting.”² ³ But Judge Menendez reviewed the evidence. The protesters “observed and criticized ICE officers,” she found, but “did not forcibly obstruct or impede the agents’ work.”² They weren’t rioting. They were watching. And for that, they got pepper spray, arrests, and guns in their faces.

“These kinds of conduct,” Menendez wrote, “are those that undoubtedly give rise to an objective chill of First Amendment rights.”¹

Undoubtedly. That’s a federal judge saying: this isn’t a close call.

And then there’s Renee Good.

Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent on January 7. Federal officials said she tried to ram the agent with her car.³ Minnesota officials disputed that claim. Now a New York Times video analysis suggests Good was steering away from the agent when he opened fire.³

The administration’s lawyers argued that the injunction “would place this court in the business of micromanaging D.H.S. officers’ conduct.”³ Read that again. A court saying don’t attack peaceful protesters is “micromanaging.” The executive branch’s position is that it answers to no one—not courts, not the Constitution, not the people it’s supposed to serve.

Judge Menendez noted the obvious: “There is no sign that this operation is winding down—indeed, it appears to still be ramping up.”² Over 2,000 DHS officials remain deployed.² Similar rulings have come from Los Angeles and Chicago. An Illinois appellate court blocked that state’s order as “too broad”—and the pattern repeats.³

Here’s the math: An ICE agent killed Renee Good. No investigation. The governor who criticized ICE? Under investigation. The mayor who told them to “get the fuck out”? Under investigation. The protesters who watched? Arrested, pepper-sprayed, held at gunpoint.

The people being held accountable are the ones who spoke up.

---

There’s more below, but first: The mainstream press will report this ruling and move on. They won’t name the pattern: courts say stop, the administration says absurd, and the operation continues. They won’t tell you who has the power to actually end this. If connecting those dots matters to you, please consider supporting The American Manifesto. Paid subscriptions make this work possible.

---

Here’s what can actually stop this:

District attorneys can charge ICE agents who commit assault, unlawful arrest, and civil rights violations. These are crimes. Prosecute them.

Mayors can order local police to arrest federal agents committing crimes on their streets. Jurisdiction exists. Use it.

Governors can deploy National Guard to protect residents exercising constitutional rights. Minnesota has a National Guard. Deploy it.

Congressional Democrats can tie ICE funding to compliance with court orders. No compliance, no budget. That’s how oversight works.

Courts keep issuing rulings. The administration keeps ignoring them. Lawsuits after the fact aren’t protection—they’re paperwork. The people with power to stop this now are the DAs, mayors, governors, and members of Congress who represent you.

Call them. Show up at their offices. Demand they use the power they have. Susan Tincher shouldn’t have to go to court to get her rights back. She should have leaders who protect them in the first place.

---

The Pattern

We’ve been mapping this administration against the fascism syndrome—ten indicators that a democracy is backsliding into fascism:

• Normalization of political violence: Federal agents pepper-spray, arrest, and point guns at Americans exercising constitutional rights. A woman is dead. The administration calls court protection “absurd.”

• Erosion of due process: Susan Tincher asked a question and got pinned to the ground. No crime. No warrant. Just retaliation for watching.

• Capture of the state and elimination of accountability: The agent who killed Renee Good? No investigation. The governor who criticized ICE? Under investigation. That’s not law enforcement—that’s political targeting.

A federal judge had to write 83 pages explaining that the First Amendment still exists. The administration’s response was to call the ruling a “left-wing narrative.” This is what it looks like when power answers to no one.

Want to understand how we got here—and how to dismantle the machine?

The Freedom Illusion — Part I

---

Your Move

• Who is your district attorney? Your mayor? Your governor? Do they know you’re watching?

• The administration calls this ruling “absurd.” What does it tell you when protecting constitutional rights is treated as an attack on law enforcement?

• Share this with someone who needs to see it. Call your representatives. Show up. The people with power to stop this need to hear from you today—not after the next shooting.

1. Gaya Gupta, Mariana Alfaro, and Marisa Iati, “Minneapolis judge bars DHS agents from arresting peaceful protesters“, Washington Post, January 16, 2026.

Detailed accounts of plaintiffs’ experiences: Susan Tincher arrested and pinned to ground for asking if agents were ICE; two residents had masked agents point semiautomatic weapons at them for following a suspected ICE vehicle. Reports Judge Menendez’s finding that ICE conduct “undoubtedly give rise to an objective chill of First Amendment rights.” Notes order remains in effect “until the operation concludes or conditions change.”

2. Kyle Cheney, Hassan Ali Kanu, and Josh Gerstein, “Judge limits ICE’s crowd control tactics following Minneapolis shooting“, Politico, January 16, 2026.

Documents White House response calling the ruling “absurd” and Judge Menendez’s observation that Operation Metro Surge “appears to still be ramping up.” Reports over 2,000 DHS officials deployed to Minnesota. Notes the judge found protesters “did not forcibly obstruct or impede the agents’ work” despite DHS claims of “dangerous rioters.”

3. Mitch Smith, “Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters“, New York Times, January 16, 2026.

Comprehensive reporting including critical detail that a NYT video analysis suggests Renee Good was steering away from the agent when shot—contradicting federal claims she tried to ram him. Documents the Trump administration’s argument that the injunction would “micromanage” DHS officers. Notes similar cases in California, Illinois, and D.C., with Illinois appellate court blocking that ruling as “too broad.”