A man from Minneapolis alleges that he was forcibly removed from his car by federal agents and detained for eight hours without any charges filed against him.
Identified only as Brandon, he disclosed being held by ICE for over eight hours on January 11. Brandon had participated in the wave of demonstrations following the tragic shooting of local mother-of-three, Renee Good.
Brandon claimed that his arrest was baseless, stating, “I was apprehended for obstruction without any formal accusations. It seems they considered me obstructing from behind since we were trailing them when they shattered our car windows. They dragged me out, placed me in an unmarked vehicle, and detained me for eight hours.”
According to Brandon, he was held at the Whipple Federal building, a focal point for protests against immigration raids in the city, where he described the conditions as deplorable.
He mentioned that they were denied food and the agents present did not display badge numbers, making it impossible to identify them upon release, even if there was any misconduct during their detention.
Following his release, Brandon penned an opinion piece for the Star Tribune and faced online criticism labeling him as a troublemaker. Despite the backlash, he remains resolute.
Brandon expressed his motivation to stand with others at the location where 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents. “I came out today because I live nearby and woke up to news of another neighbor’s death.”
He was part of a large gathering at the intersection of 26th Avenue and Nicollet Street when agents fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, causing chaos and prompting Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara to appeal for calm and preservation of the city.
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