Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Minnesota to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, after federal officials announced a protest at a church in St. Paul led to arrests.
Vance is set to give public remarks after meeting with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. This comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi announced at least three people had been arrested after anti-ICE demonstrators disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul.
Meanwhile, in nearby Columbia Heights, Minnesota, at least four students have been taken by ICE officers in recent weeks, according to local school district officials. This includes five-year-old Liam Canejo Ramos and his father, who were detained earlier this week.
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday the five-year-old was “abandoned,” and that ICE agents “did not target a child.”
Protests are ongoing in Minneapolis as federal immigration agents continue to operate in the area. The Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Metro Surge” in the region last month, and agents have made thousands of arrests since, the agency said earlier this week.
The operation has sparked protests and backlash from local officials, which further intensified after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, on January 7 in Minneapolis. ICE continues to ramp up activity in other states, including Maine, where the agency launched “Operation Catch of the Day” earlier this week.
Vance arrives in Minneapolis
Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Minneapolis, where he’s expected to meet with ICE agents before giving public remarks.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 18:50
Third arrest made in connection with St. Paul church protest
A third person has been arrested in connection with the anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church over the weekend.
Attorney General Pam Bondi identified the third person as William Kelly. Earlier Thursday, she announced the arrests of civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 18:48
Renee Good was shot at least three times, according to autopsy commissioned by her family
Mike Bedigan22 January 2026 18:30
Judge rejects prosecutors’ bid to charge Don Lemon over St. Paul church protest: report
A magistrate judge has rejected prosecutors’ attempts to charge former CNN journalist Don Lemon in connection with an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, over the weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Lemon was present at the protest and recorded footage from inside the church. Lemon has said he is not affiliated with the protest’s organizers and that he was there to cover the event as a reporter, the AP reports.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 18:14
Who has been arrested in connection with the St. Paul church protest?
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced two people have been arrested in connection with an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, over the weekend.
Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Louisa Allen have since been arrested, Bondi said Thursday.
Dozens of protesters interrupted the Sunday worship service at the church, where a local ICE official serves as a pastor.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 18:02
‘How do you sleep?’ Federal agents heckled as they arrest crying teenage girl in Minneapolis
Furious protestors were heard screaming “how do you sleep” at a squad of ICE agents seen barrelling a pair of teenagers into a car during a raid in Minnesota.
The chaotic scene unfolded Wednesday on the streets of Minneapolis, where ICE agents have been snatching alleged illegal immigrants from the streets as part of Operation Metro Surge.
Owen Scott22 January 2026 17:50
How many people has the Trump administration deported?
The Trump administration has deported an estimated 540,000 people over the last year, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.
That includes about 230,000 people who were arrested in the U.S., and 270,000 people who were arrested at the border. Another estimated 40,000 people “self-deported,” according to the analysis.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 17:40
ICE whines that protesters in Minnesota won’t even let agents take bathroom breaks in peace
“Today, Border Patrol agents who were in the Minneapolis-St Paul area as part of a targeted enforcement operation were repeatedly harassed and blocked by hostile crowds while simply trying to take bathroom breaks,” the DHS wrote on X Wednesday.
Joe Sommerlad22 January 2026 17:21
Watch: Twin Cities officials accuse ICE of targeting off-duty police officers
Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with ICE agents in Minneapolis this afternoon.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 17:12
Maine governor blasts ICE operations in state
Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, blasted the ongoing ICE operation in her state, according to the Portland Press Herald.
“In America, we don’t believe in secret arrests or secret police,” Mills told reporters Thursday.
“For the most part, we’re hearing about [the arrests of] people who have not been engaged in criminal activity,” she added.
ICE announced Wednesday that agents launched “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2026 17:01
