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Classes across Minneapolis were cancelled after a confrontation between federal immigration agents and school staff spilled onto a high school campus, hours after a fatal shooting involving an ICE officer elsewhere in the city.
The incident intensified fears among parents and educators over student safety and federal enforcement tactics.
A tense afternoon
US Border Patrol agents arrived at Roosevelt High School following a car chase linked to immigration enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as students were leaving the building, with agents, teachers, residents and protesters converging near the school entrance.
Minneapolis Public Schools later announced that all schools would be closed until Monday “out of an abundance of caution,” notes NBC News.
What witnesses saw
A local resident identified only as Carol told NBC News she saw a convoy of SUVs pull up to the school.
“All these men, who were fully armed, suddenly jumped out of the SUVs and started running towards the school,” she said.
She said teachers and staff tried to keep agents away from students. “They just pushed [the teachers] away. I saw one teacher get tackled,” Carol said.
She also said residents gathered, shouting at agents to leave the area.
Federal response
DHS said agents were pursuing a US citizen suspected of ramming a government vehicle during immigration operations, and that the chase ended at the school.
“While the subject was being removed from his vehicle, an individual who identified himself as a teacher proceeded to assault a border patrol agent,” the department said.
DHS said officers used “targeted crowd control” and denied deploying tear gas.
Union backlash
The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers said an educator was arrested and later released.
“We will not tolerate ICE inhibiting our city’s youth from their constitutional right to attend school safely,” the union said, adding that agents had used tear gas, a claim DHS disputes.
Local residents echoed those concerns. “I think school property should be off-limits,” Kate Winkel told MPR News. “Our kids need to feel safe at school.”
A city on edge
The confrontation came the same day an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, sparking nationwide outrage.
School officials said the Roosevelt High School incident remains under investigation. “This incident involved federal law enforcement agents and is currently under investigation,” Minneapolis Public Schools said.
Sources: NBC News, DHS, Minneapolis Public Schools
