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A viral video circulating on social media Sunday appeared to show agitators interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation targeting an alleged child sex offender in Minnesota.
The video, posted to X and viewed more than 750,000 times within hours, shows an ICE agent confronting people in St. Paul who he said were honking their car horns and disrupting federal officers as they attempted to take a suspect into custody.
“We’re here to arrest a child sex offender and you guys are out here honking,” the agent says in the video.
“No, we’re press,” someone off-camera responds. “We’re not honking.”
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A viral video circulating on social media Sunday appeared to show individuals interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation targeting an alleged child sex offender in Minnesota. (FNTV)
The agent then points to a nearby vehicle.
“That vehicle right there is honking and impeding our investigations while we’re trying to arrest a child sex offender. That’s who you guys are protecting. Insane.”
The video then cuts to the agent standing in the snow beside a vehicle repeatedly honking.
“Trust me, I understand,” the agent tells someone inside the car before they slam on the horn.
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The video then cuts to the agent standing in the snow next to a vehicle as it honks. (FNTV)
In another moment, the agent is seen speaking with occupants of a different vehicle who appear to question the legitimacy of the arrest and attempt to usher him away.
At one point, a woman standing behind the agent’s vehicle can be heard saying, “Just go. They’re lying. Don’t listen to them,” while waving the car onward.
Responding to the video on X, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin on Sunday praised federal law enforcement officers for continuing their work amid increasing resistance.
“God bless the men & women of [ICE] and [Customs and Border Protection] who risk their lives to arrest these criminals,” McLaughlin wrote.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also weighed in, posting, “God Bless ICE” — a message that was later reposted by the official White House X account.
Elon Musk reacted to the video as well, writing simply, “Crazy.”
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In another moment, the agent is seen speaking with occupants of a different vehicle who appear to question the legitimacy of the arrest and attempt to usher him away. (FNTV)
The incident comes amid rising tensions between federal authorities and agitators in the Twin Cities. Earlier this month, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer while allegedly blocking an immigration operation in the city and driving toward the officer.
Agitators across the Twin Cities have followed and harassed federal agents as they carry out operations, with some throwing snowballs at agents or screaming obscenities through bullhorns from just feet away.
Some clashes have resulted in immigration officers deploying pepper spray and tear gas.
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President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing 1,500 troops for potential deployment to Minnesota, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Digital.
Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
