Here’s the latest
• FBI probe into ICE killing: The FBI briefly opened a civil rights probe into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good this month in Minneapolis before shifting to whether the agent was assaulted, two sources told CNN. The focus is now on the conduct of Good and those around her, including her widow, they said. The family attorney says an investigation is needed to find out what happened and part of the standard procedure for a deadly use-of-force case.
• DOJ appeals judge’s ruling: The Department of Justice is appealing a judge’s order restricting how federal agents respond to Minnesota protesters. The order stops federal agents involved in Operation Metro Surge from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters, using certain crowd control measures like pepper spray, and stopping and detaining drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal operations.
• Protests flare: Rocker Bruce Springsteen weighed in as demonstrations continue in the frigid Twin Cities. The Justice Department is investigating after protesters disrupted services at a church where they say an ICE official is a pastor. And state officials have mobilized the National Guard.
Federal officials investigating after anti-ICE protesters interrupted a church service. Catch up on the latest
The Department of Justice has opened an investigation after anti-ICE protesters entered a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, chanting “ICE out” and “Renee Good” and bringing a halt to Sunday service. It’s the latest escalation in the federal government’s push against protests, which have intensified since an ICE agent shot and killed Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis a little under two weeks ago.
Here’s what you should know:
- DOJ investigates church protest: Assistant US Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced that the DOJ’s Civil Rights division would investigate the Sunday protest that saw dozens of anti-ICE demonstrators enter Cities Church. She said the protesters were “desecrating a house of worship and interfering with Christian worshippers.” Officials with the department’s Civil Rights unit arrived Monday, United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News. Officials have suggested Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor who now makes content independently and was present at the church protest, could face charges, though he told CNN he was at the event as a journalist. An activist involved told CNN the protesters were targeting a pastor at the church who is also a local ICE official.
- Justice Department appeals judge’s ruling: Meanwhile, the DOJ is also appealing a judge’s order that restricts how federal agents can respond to protesters in Minnesota. The injunction prevents federal agents involved in Operation Metro Surge, which includes thousands of federal agents sent to the Twin Cities to target undocumented Somali immigrants, from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters, using certain crowd control measures like pepper spray, and stopping and detaining drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal operations. DHS secretary Kristi Noem called the order “a little ridiculous,” saying the agency doesn’t engage in activities prohibited by the injunction and agents only use chemical irritants “when there’s violence happening and perpetuating, and you need to be able to establish law and order to keep people safe.”
- 1,500 soldiers on standby and state National Guard mobilized: The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, according to a Trump administration source. Having troops on standby does not mean a deployment is imminent or guaranteed, the Trump administration source said. State officials have also mobilized the National Guard, though they haven’t yet been deployed.
- Protests continue in freezing Minnesota: Demonstrators continued to rally against ICE near the Whipple Federal Building outside Minneapolis Monday, amid frigid temperatures.
