Minneapolis Activists Establish Checkpoint to Monitor Federal Immigration Agents

In a display of rising tension and unrest, anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activists in Minneapolis have taken matters into their own hands by establishing an improvised checkpoint on a local street. Their goal is to identify federal agents by stopping vehicles and questioning drivers about their affiliations, as revealed by video footage circulating online.

These demonstrators, positioned amid makeshift barricades and traffic cones on the roadway, have been actively halting or signaling passing cars to pull over. The scene is marked by a palpable atmosphere of suspicion and confrontation.

In a particularly telling video segment, one activist, clad in a black coat and mask, approaches a stationary vehicle. The individual pointedly inquires if the driver is associated with ICE before permitting them to continue on their way. The activist further presses the issue, remarking, “It looks like in our system that your plates come up as an ICE plate.”

This tense standoff is occurring at a barricade situated on Cedar Avenue near 34th Street, as vehicles attempt to enter the Powderhorn neighborhood in south Minneapolis. The Minnesota Star Tribune captured the unfolding events with images by photographer Richard Tsong-Taatari, highlighting a community at the cusp of conflict and dialogue.

Agitators at a barricade on Cedar Avenue near 34th Street vet vehicles entering the Powderhorn neighborhood in south Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatari/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

“That doesn’t seem like it’s the case,” he added. “I just want to come through and ask what’s up and see how you’re doing.”

The agitator also asked the driver for his name. 

“He’s clearly Somalian,” someone is also heard saying.

Journalist Jorge Ventura captured the video from the scene. Ventura asked the agitator what system they were using, pressing him on how the group was identifying vehicles and noting that the driver was not a federal agent.

An anti-ICE agitator approaches a vehicle and questions the driver during a makeshift checkpoint on a residential street in Minneapolis, video shows. (X/@VenturaReport)

The agitator responded that ICE agents were renting a large number of vehicles and said the car would be taken “off the list.”

The agitator acknowledged that the encounter was being posted on social media, but said many nearby residents supported the effort. 

“A lot of the neighbors support what we’re doing,” the agitator said. “So happy to be here.”

Ventura said the agitators were stopping vehicles on Cedar Avenue, which runs through the Somali-dense Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, known as “Little Mogadishu.” He said they were stopping vehicles, checking drivers’ identification and running license plates through what they described as a “database,” adding that he did not observe any Minneapolis police officers at the scene.

Agitators build a barricade on Cedar Avenue near 34th Street as a checkpoint in the Powderhorn neighborhood in south Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatari/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

The activity appeared to take place entirely on a public street, with agitators effectively setting up what resembled an informal checkpoint aimed at identifying or tracking federal immigration agents operating in the city.

The Minneapolis Police Department told Fox News Digital that the roadblocks were removed. It is unclear if any arrests were made. 

“The Public Works team — with assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department — cleared debris and homemade roadblocks yesterday,” the department said. “Given the high-traffic and high-speed block of roadways on Cedar Avenue, the city cleared the streets to ensure public safety for the neighborhoods and emergency vehicles.”

The video surfaced amid heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in Minnesota, as anti-ICE activists have staged repeated protests and confrontations tied to federal operations in recent weeks.

It comes after the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis during separate federal enforcement actions, incidents that intensified unrest and scrutiny surrounding ICE activity in the city.