Federal Judge Tells ICE: Stop Dressing Up Pepper Spray as Diplomacy
KEY POINTS
- ā¢On January 12, 2026, Judge Katherine Menendez barred ICE from arresting or pepper spraying peaceful Minnesota protesters.
- ā¢The ACLU filed their lawsuit on December 17 representing six U.S. citizens, including Susan Tincher and Abdikadir Abdi Noor.
- ā¢President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send soldiers with fewer operational limits to Minnesota.
On January 12, 2026, Judge Katherine Menendez schooled ICE agents in Minnesota by banning the timeless art of pepper-spraying peaceful protesters just for expressing an opinion or watching. The ACLU threw down on December 17 on behalf of six U.S. citizensāincluding Susan Tincher, infamous after her December curbside arrest, and Abdikadir Abdi Noor, who learned that ācalmly advisingā doesnāt stop ICE tackles. DHS lawyers argued these agents faced enough āthreats and violenceāālike bold speech or noses in their bizāto justify their rough methods. Meanwhile, Trumpās teetering on invoking the Insurrection Act to unleash soldiers with even fewer rulebooks than IKEA instructions. Nearby Chicagoās already got federal agents famous for brutal moves, making Minneapolis the sequel nobody wanted.
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Watching ICE do their thing legally just got a court-ordered favor: apparently, pepper spray isnāt peaceful protest seasoning.
Minnesota protesters realized pepper spray is ICEās answer to polite disagreement. Courts said, āHold my gavel.ā
Nothing says ācivil libertiesā like a judge telling federal agents you canāt arrest spectators watching a manhunt.
Source: Axios | Published: 1/17/2026 | Author: Torey Van Oot
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