(Photo: Reuters)MINNEAPOLIS - A federal judge in Minnesota on Friday ‌ordered that US immigration agents deployed en masse to Minneapolis be restricted ​in some of the tactics they have used against peaceful demonstrators and observers, including arrests and tear-gassing. The court case was brought on behalf of six protesters and observers who claimed their constitutional rights had been infringed by the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Federal agents also are banned from using pepper spray, tear gas or other crowd-control munitions against peaceful demonstrators or bystanders observing and recording the immigration enforcement operations, the judge ruled. Menendez wrote that the government, in defending the street ⁠tactics of its immigration officers, had failed to “explain why it is necessary for them to arrest and use force against peaceful observers”. Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have repeatedly demanded that the Trump administration withdraw the immigration agents, asserting that the operation is being conducted in a reckless manner endangering the public.

Source: Bangkok Post January 17, 2026 13:20 UTC