Federal Operation Fuels Fear and Legal Fight in Minneapolis

It is a place of tension as the continuing federal operation remains in Minneapolis. There is also a deepening distrust between residents and authorities as a legal fight gets underway. WCCO Radio news anchor and reporter Susie Jones discusses what she’s seeing there with Jamie Martinson and Brian Noonan, hosts of Civic Media Mornings.   

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Listen to the complete discussion here:

Jones tells listeners a brief clash occurred in Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota campus where a group of students outside a hotel encountered federal authorities. There was damage from spray paint and broken windows, but no major injuries have been reported.

She contrasts that moment with one just a few days earlier. An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people marched peacefully through downtown Minneapolis in subzero temperatures on Friday. The group moved from the U.S. Bank Stadium to the Target Center where a rally featured singing and messages of unity.

“That was the tone on Friday,” Jones said. “People felt unified and hopeful. Waking up Saturday to what happened has been jarring.”

A legal fight is unfolding in federal court. And according to Jones, two hearings will take place: one seeks to halt or pause what officials are calling “Operation Metro Surge,” and another is asking a federal judge to order the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to preserve evidence related to the Saturday morning shooting.

Community fear has become a defining feature of the current moment in Minneapolis. Jones says many residents – particularly within immigrant communities – are staying home and keeping their children out of school. They are avoiding public spaces due to fear of detention or violence. 

“There’s a real sense that any encounter could become deadly,” she says.

Concerns over accountability are also intensifying. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is the state’s independent agency responsible for investigating use-of-force incidents, reportedly attempted to access the scene of the shooting but was turned away by federal authorities. This is raising even more questions about transparency and evidence preservation.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey remains publicly outspoken. He wants federal agents to leave the city and emphasizes the need to protect residents. Jones describes Frey as popular and well-supported locally after recently being reelected to a third term. But she also says there’s a growing sense of powerlessness among residents.

“People feel stuck,” Jones shares. “There’s a belief that the federal government will do what it wants, regardless of what city leaders, the governor, or the attorney general say.”

Videos circulating online show unmarked vehicles and federal agents without clear identification, along with the use of pepper spray against civilians. The images are fueling more confusion, anger, and fear about who is in charge and what rules are being followed.

Jones does emphasize one point of unity. She is seeing residents who are crossing party lines in agreement that violent offenders should not be in the community. But many are also calling for targeted enforcement rather than broad, sweeping operations that are impacting entire neighborhoods.

Now, as court hearings move forward while federal activity continues, Minneapolis remains fragile. Jones says it’s caught between legal uncertainty, community trauma, and an escalating struggle over authority, safety, and accountability.

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