Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilizes state National Guard amid ongoing protests

By Holly Yan, Hanna Park, Sydney Bishop, CNN

(CNN) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has mobilized the state National Guard to support the Minnesota State Patrol, a spokesperson for the guard said Saturday.

“We are staged and ready to respond. We are not deployed to city streets at this time,” Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya said in a statement to CNN, adding troops will help provide “traffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully.”

On Saturday, crowds of bundled-up demonstrators chanted and waved signs in subfreezing temperatures in downtown Minneapolis and at the nearby Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. CNN saw several protesters detained by law enforcement near the federal building, though the protest was peaceful and it’s not immediately clear why they were detained. Extra measures have been put in place in downtown Minneapolis with blocked roads and at least one hotel bolstering security due to the protests.

“Stay safe and stay peaceful today,” Walz urged the public in a social media post Saturday. “Our public safety team has the resources, coordination, and personnel on the ground to maintain public safety and respond if needed. Thanks to local law enforcement for keeping the peace.”

An official in the governor’s office said the move was a reconfirmation of Walz’s direction for the state National Guard to mobilize in support of the local law enforcement.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety posted photos Saturday of state National Guard troops in beanies, gloves and jackets appearing to be gathering bags of equipment, along with guard trucks lined up on a snowy road.

“At Gov. Walz’s direction, the Minnesota National Guard have been mobilized,” the post read, specifying troops are in place to “support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.”

State and local officials in St. Paul and Minneapolis are bracing for more protests in the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer earlier this month.

Demonstrations intensified after the 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot in her car by an ICE agent. Tensions flared again this week when another agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man accused of “violently” resisting arrest, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“We believe that law enforcement has a good plan for today to keep people safe,” Minnesota Department of Public Safety Chief of Staff Jordan Haltaufderheid said at a town hall Saturday morning. “I know today could be a contentious day in the city of Minneapolis given who is there, but I just want to make sure that you know we are prepared for that along with our local partners.”

A federal judge placed new restrictions on immigration agents, ruling agents carrying out a sweeping operation in Minnesota can’t deploy certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters or arrest them.

The limitations came as word spread that the Department of Justice is investigating Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The probe raises the possibility of criminal consequences for the two Democrats, who have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful and to “not take the bait” that could lead to a heavier federal response.

Ruling protects peaceful protests

Federal agents from Operation Metro Surge are not allowed to arrest or retaliate against peaceful protesters or use “pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools” against them, US District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled in a preliminary injunction issued Friday.

Menendez also said the agents can no longer stop and detain drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal operations. “The act of safely following” the officers “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the judge added.

The order only applies in Minnesota and only to agents involved in the current operation, and does not apply to other federal officers handling routine duties elsewhere, the order specified.

In a response to the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security said it is “taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said despite these threats, agents follow training and use “the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.”

The preliminary injunction was requested by activists who filed a lawsuit last month alleging the federal government was violating their constitutional rights. The case is separate from a different lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the Twin Cities on Monday seeking a court-ordered end to what it calls a “federal invasion” during Operation Metro Surge.

With protests expected to continue, here’s what else to know:

• Walz and Frey respond: Neither the Minnesota governor nor the Minneapolis mayor confirmed the reported DOJ investigation for possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, but both accused the Trump administration of trying to intimidate its political opponents. A host of Democratic governors and members of Congress issued statements casting the reported investigation as an abuse of power.
• Outcry over federal tactics: Democratic members of Congress held a field hearing at Minnesota’s state capitol Friday to highlight alleged abuses happening during the immigration crackdown. American citizens going about their daily business are getting tackled or detained due to their ethnicities, lawmakers and local residents said at the hearing. A DHS spokesperson has insisted federal agents do not use racial profiling to make arrests and told CNN in an email that such claims are “disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE.”
• Ongoing protests: Protesters gathered again Friday at Minneapolis’ Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the staging facility for immigration operations. Federal officers in tactical gear forcefully moved a group of protesters away from the street, and at least one person appeared to be detained after triggering a heavy response from at least five agents. On Saturday, a large group of officers approached protesters, who responded with boos and insults, and detained several more people. It wasn’t immediately clear what preceded the detentions. CNN reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and DHS for details.
• No Insurrection Act “right now”: Trump reiterated Friday he’s willing to use the Insurrection Act to send US troops into Minnesota – but added: “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it.” Trump has threatened multiple times to invoke the centuries-old law, which hasn’t been used since 1992.
• Federal officials visit: FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Minneapolis Friday amid ongoing tensions between immigration officers and activists as well as open conflict between local leaders and Trump administration officials over the tactics of federal agents.
• Children hospitalized: Two children, including a baby, were hospitalized Wednesday night after federal agents deployed tear gas, the city of Minneapolis said in a statement. A family was driving their children home from an athletic event when federal agents shot tear gas during a protest, which got too close to a car, and the family got “caught in the middle of” the situation, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. Initial reports indicate the tear gas caused “a 6-month-old infant inside the vehicle to experience breathing difficulties,” the city’s statement said. When first responders reached the family, “the infant was breathing and stable, but (in) serious condition,” the city said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Taylor Romine, Holmes Lybrand, Kaitlan Collins, Hannah Rabinowitz, Elizabeth Wolfe, Julie In and Emma Tucker, Jake Tapper, Omar Jimenez, Julia Vargas Jones, Sarah Moon, Orlando Ruiz, Kevin Liptak, Lauren Mascarenhas, Samantha Waldenberg, and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.