Lang’s anti-Muslim, anti-Somali and pro-ICE demonstration at City Hall drew about 10 people.
Hundreds of people protesting against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, chased away a small group led by far-right influencer Jake Lang, who had announced a march in an immigrant-majority neighborhood.
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, by federal agents, followed a week later by the shooting death of a Venezuelan immigrant, heightened tensions in an already tense city.
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Protesters gathered near City Hall downtown on Saturday, waving signs and shouting chants calling on ICE and Border Patrol agents to leave Minneapolis.
Lang, one of more than 1,500 people convicted and pardoned by President Donald Trump in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, organized what he called an “anti-fraud” rally.
About 10 people attended Lang’s anti-Muslim, anti-Somali, pro-ICE demonstration, but hundreds of counter-demonstrators gathered at the venue, yelled at Lang’s attempts to speak, and drove supporters to a nearby hotel within an hour. Several scuffles broke out, but Reuters did not observe any serious violence.
Lang later posted on X that he was stabbed during the scuffle, but that his protective vest thwarted the attempt. Reuters was unable to verify his account.
In an email to Reuters, Minneapolis police said they were aware of Lang’s social media posts but that no formal report had been filed with the department. Police said they had not received any reports of injuries from victims related to the protests.
Protests have been occurring daily since the Department of Homeland Security deployed more than 2,000 federal agents to step up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Protesters have decried aggressive tactics, including masked immigration officers dragging people from their homes and cars. The ultra-liberal Twin Cities operation claimed at least one life, that of American citizen Goode.
Trump administration officials have been accused of outright lies about what happened to Goode’s death, contradicted by multiple videos, and labeled her a “domestic terrorist” without any evidence.
President Trump has repeatedly cited the scandal surrounding the theft of federal funds meant for social welfare programs in Minnesota as a basis for sending thousands of immigration enforcement agents to the state. The president and administration officials have repeatedly referred to the state’s Somali immigrant community in racist terms. President Trump called the community “trash.”
Snowballs and water balloons were also thrown in Minneapolis on Saturday before armored vans and heavily armed city police arrived.
The National Guard said in a statement that it was “mobilized” by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in support of the Minnesota State Patrol to “assist with transportation assistance to protect life, protect property, and support the right of all Minnesotans to peacefully assemble.”
Guard spokeswoman Maj. Andrea Tschiya said they are “ready” but not yet deployed.
On Friday, a federal judge ruled that immigration agents cannot detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who do not obstruct authorities, including while observing police during a crackdown in Minnesota.
President Trump warned that he could invoke the Insurrection Act and send U.S. troops to Minnesota if state officials didn’t try to quell protests in Minnesota against federal immigration authorities, who he said were “just trying to do their job.”
The tense situation has left Minnesota’s Democratic leadership in a fierce battle with Trump.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he “will not be intimidated” after reports that the Trump administration has launched an investigation into his comments about curbing violent attacks on immigrants in the city.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday opened a criminal investigation against Frey and Gov. Walz, who is also the 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, for obstructing federal law enforcement through public statements, according to multiple media reports.
