Dozens of Anti-ICE Protesters Arrested After Rioting Outside Migrant Hotel

When federal agents checked into a suburban Minnesota hotel, they didn’t expect hundreds of activists to transform their lodging into a battleground that would end with dozens in handcuffs and chemical irritants clouding the winter air.

Story Snapshot

Multiple anti-ICE protesters arrested at SpringHill Suites in Maple Grove after demonstration escalated from peaceful to unlawful assembly
Federal agents deployed chemical irritants at separate hotel location without notifying local police, who later had offers of assistance refused
Fatal shooting of armed protester by Border Patrol agents catalyzed wave of demonstrations including airport protest with 100 clergy members cited
Hundreds of Minnesota businesses closed in coordinated action as thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis
Trump administration publicly accused Minnesota Democratic leadership of “inciting insurrection” amid federal-local cooperation breakdown

When Hotels Become Flashpoints

Police in Maple Grove responded to the SpringHill Suites by Marriott around 8 p.m. Monday night after protesters descended on the location believing federal immigration agents were staying there. What began as a demonstration quickly crossed the line authorities use to distinguish protected speech from unlawful conduct. Police declared an unlawful assembly and took several individuals into custody. The escalation wasn’t isolated. At the Home2 Suites Hotel on University Avenue in Minneapolis, federal agents deployed chemical irritants while arresting demonstrators, never bothering to inform the Minneapolis Police Department beforehand.

The Fatal Catalyst Nobody Mentions Enough

The Monday night hotel protests didn’t materialize from nowhere. Days earlier, an armed anti-ICE demonstrator was shot and killed during a confrontation with Border Patrol agents. That fatal shooting appears to have ignited the subsequent wave of increasingly confrontational demonstrations. Federal officials characterized their operations as “isolated operations to get criminals off the street,” conducted with zero cooperation from the governor, congressional leadership, or the mayor. When enforcement agencies operate in hostile territory without local support, the powder keg gets a shorter fuse.

Faith Leaders in Handcuffs at the Airport

The involvement of organized religious institutions adds a dimension that separates these protests from standard activist mobilization. Approximately 100 clergy members joined roughly 100 additional protesters at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Friday, calling on airlines to refuse cooperation with ICE operations. The Metropolitan Airports Commission had issued a permit, but attendance went beyond agreed-upon terms. Court records show dozens cited for violations including not complying with a peace officer and trespassing. When faith leaders risk arrest records, they’re making calculated moral statements intended to shift public perception.

The Coordination That Wasn’t

Federal agents deployed chemical irritants at the Home2 Suites Hotel without communicating to local law enforcement beforehand. When Minneapolis police attempted to provide aid, federal supervisors refused further assistance from MPD. This operational friction between jurisdictions isn’t just bureaucratic awkwardness. It represents a fundamental breakdown in the coordination that typically governs law enforcement cooperation. Federal officials argue that lack of local cooperation undermines operational effectiveness and creates dangerous situations. One official stated that ICE cannot do their job effectively when local law enforcement refuses to help.

Economic Disruption as Political Statement

Hundreds of Minnesota businesses closed on January 23 as thousands marched through downtown Minneapolis in coordinated anti-ICE demonstration. This wasn’t spontaneous community outrage. This was organized political mobilization using economic disruption as leverage. Protest organizers stated that the people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country, declaring the need to shut down what they characterized as ICE’s reign of terror. The scale of business participation suggests either deep community conviction or significant organizational pressure, likely both.

When Rhetoric Becomes Accusation

Trump administration officials didn’t mince words, with Trump himself writing that the mayor and governor are inciting insurrection with their pompous, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric. That’s not standard political criticism. That’s an accusation of criminal conduct. Minnesota’s political leadership took a position of non-cooperation with federal ICE operations, creating the conditions where protesters felt emboldened to physically obstruct federal agents. When state and local officials signal that federal law enforcement operates without their blessing, they shouldn’t feign surprise when citizens take that as permission to interfere.

The Withdrawal and What It Signals

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and some Border Patrol agents are reported to be leaving Minneapolis soon. Whether that represents tactical withdrawal or mission completion remains unclear, but the timing suggests federal authorities concluded continued operations in hostile territory carried unacceptable costs. Multiple individuals remain in custody following the Monday night arrests, though information on formal charges or bail status for those arrested at the hotel demonstrations remains unavailable. The departure of federal agents may provide temporary relief for activists, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying question of whether local governments can effectively nullify federal immigration enforcement through non-cooperation.