A group of five software engineers found themselves in the crosshairs of a hostile crowd while grabbing lunch at Clancy’s Deli in south Minneapolis. What started as a routine meal turned into a nightmare when protesters, fueled by a tip in a Signal chat group called “SW Minneapolis Rapid Response,” swarmed the restaurant under the false belief that the men were undercover ICE agents.
The message claimed the deli owner had confirmed plain-clothed federal officers were inside, leading to dozens of agitators gathering outside the windows within minutes. The protestors’ evidence? All five men were white.
The engineers, all dressed casually in sweatshirts and jackets, tried to explain they were just local tech workers building apps for Minnesota businesses. Their pleas fell on deaf ears as the mob shouted obscenities, blew whistles, and filmed them relentlessly. When the group stepped outside to leave, the confrontation intensified with insults like “Get out of our f***ing neighborhood,” “You look like a f***ing ICE agent,” and accusations of being pedophiles. One ringleader reportedly justified the attack by calling them “white privileged males.”
One of the victims, identified only as Lee, described the ordeal afterward. “You don’t tell extremists that random customers are ICE agents. That’s how people get hurt… one of my friends feared they would be shot.” He added that the experience shifted some of his friends’ views on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, noting, “After this, I think some of them are rethinking everything.”
Lee also captured the frustration in the moment, telling the crowd, “This is what’s wrong with your guys’ cause,” and “The way you guys are acting? No. And I don’t support ICE either. I’m just trying to enjoy my lunch!”
This incident unfolded against a backdrop of mounting unrest in Minneapolis, sparked by the January 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a trained anti-ICE protester, by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. She was part of a group impeding agents and attempted to run them over, labeling it an act of domestic terrorism.
Protests have erupted nationwide since Good’s death, with thousands marching in Minneapolis and other cities, demanding accountability and chanting slogans like “Abolish ICE” and “Justice for Renee.” A second ICE-involved shooting on January 14 has sparked rioter sympathies, where agents fired on a Venezuelan illegal alien who was aided by two other illegal aliens in attacking an officer with shovels.
The surge in ICE presence stems from President Trump’s crackdown on welfare fraud in Minnesota, with nearly 3,000 agents and investigators deployed to the area. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the operations, accusing protesters of harassment and obstruction, while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have used the chaos to cover up their involvement in the various fraud schemes.
In response to the growing disorder, President Trump posted on Truth Social on January 15, warning that if state officials fail to stop “professional agitators and insurrectionists” from attacking ICE personnel, he would invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy U.S. military troops. The Pentagon has placed 1,500 soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division in Alaska on prepare-to-deploy status for possible use in arctic conditions.
Beyond the streets, the unrest has spilled into unexpected places. A mob stormed a church in St. Paul during a worship service, targeting a pastor falsely accused of ICE ties, prompting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to condemn the disruption. These episodes raise questions about coordinated efforts to intimidate supporters of law enforcement, echoing patterns seen in past domestic terrorism campaigns that seem designed to sow division and silence opposition.
Such mob tactics not only endanger innocent people but also erode the fabric of civil society, where bearing false witness against neighbors contradicts timeless principles of justice and mercy. As tensions simmer, the need for firm enforcement of the law becomes clear to protect communities from those who would exploit chaos for their own ends, reminding us that true peace comes from order, not anarchy.
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