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ABOUT TIME: Cops Finally Unleashed On Anti-ICE Rioters Near Minneapolis

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MAPLE GROVE, Minn. Violent anti-deportation protesters targeted a second Minnesota hotel which they believed housed immigration officials Monday night, but local police responded with force.

Officers ordered protesters to leave the SpringHill Suites hotel area due to property damage and objects being thrown at law enforcement, according to Daily Caller News Foundation footage and a statement from the Maple Grove Police Department. Dozens of state and local officers in riot gear guarded the building starting at 8 p.m. and cleared the gathering by 10 p.m. after the DCNF saw several arrests made.

Monday’s incident contrasted with a Sunday riot at a Minneapolis hotel, where activists broke glass, blocked a road and remained at the property for more than two hours until federal agents — including one visibly bleeding — dispersed the crowd with little help from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) or state agencies. The state later said it intended to make arrests just before federal agents threw chemical irritants.

Some protesters outside the hotel were seen on video blowing whistles, holding up middle fingers, wrapping themselves in caution tape, banging a pot with a stick, playing an accordion and loudly shrieking.

An officer eventually commanded the crowd via a loudspeaker to “leave the area peacefully,” and when protesters ignored him, several officers were seen chasing them through a parking lot.

“You pieces of shit! Who are you serving and protecting?” one protester screamed as officers ran along a sidewalk in a large group.

“The Maple Grove Police Department respects and upholds the First Amendment rights of individuals to peacefully assemble and express their views … Individuals participating in criminal acts are not protected under the First Amendment and were subject to arrest,” the department said, thanking state and county law enforcement for assistance.

Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota have persisted for weeks since the Trump administration ramped up enforcement activity in the state. Federal agents fatally shot protesters Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday during scuffles in Minneapolis. Minnesota ICE Watch, an activist network Good volunteered for, posted a flyer with plans for Monday’s hotel protest on Instagram.

The MPD has complained that understaffing makes it difficult to respond to Minneapolis’ current unrest, saying its ranks are down by about one-third. President Donald Trump threatened on Jan. 15 to invoke a military response if local officials do not sufficiently protect his agents.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously claimed that the MPD was not helping federal agents enough to suppress rioting, but the agency praised local law enforcement for Monday night’s action. “Local Minnesota Police arrested violent rioters last night,” the DHS said in a Tuesday X post. “Glad to see some state and local government cooperation. It’s a start!”

Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, whom activists claimed was staying at the SpringHill Suites on Monday, is reportedly planning to leave Minnesota by Tuesday.

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