A Minneapolis resident alleges that federal authorities forcibly removed him from his car and detained him for eight hours with no formal charges filed.
Identified only as Brandon, he recounted being held by ICE for over eight hours on January 11. Brandon had participated in the demonstrations following the shooting of local mother-of-three Renee Good. He claimed he was arrested without a valid reason, stating, “I was taken into custody for obstruction without being officially charged with a crime. It seems like I was obstructing them from behind as we were behind them when they smashed our windows. They dragged me out, put me in an unmarked vehicle, and detained me for eight hours.”
Brandon detailed his detention at the Whipple Federal building, a focal point for protests against immigration enforcement actions in the city. He described the conditions as deplorable, as reported by The Mirror US.
During his detention, Brandon said they were denied food and that the agents inside the building did not display badge numbers, making it impossible to identify them in case of mistreatment.
Following his release, Brandon faced online backlash, being labeled an agitator after writing an opinion piece for the Star Tribune. However, he remained undeterred by the criticism.
Motivated by recent events, Brandon joined others at the scene where ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot by federal agents. He expressed his sorrow, saying, “I came here today because I live nearby and woke up to news of another neighbor’s tragic death.”
This morning, Brandon was part of a large crowd at the intersection of 26th Avenue and Nicollet Street. Tear gas canisters were deployed by agents around 10:30 am, causing chaos as people fled to avoid the chemical irritants. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara appealed for calm, urging protesters not to engage in destructive behavior.
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