Protests flare for another night after Trump threatens to invoke a rarely-used law to quell the unrest

Adam Gray/AP via CNN Newsource

By Karina Tsui, Amanda Musa

(CNN) — Tensions flared in Minneapolis again Thursday in the wake of a second shooting by a federal immigration officer in just one week, as President Donald Trump threatened to invoke a centuries-old law that would allow the deployment of US troops to Minnesota.

On Thursday night, protesters and law enforcement were seen several times outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as federal officers in tactical gear deployed tear gas and percussion grenades to try to disperse crowds.

State and local leaders have urged the community to remain calm amid unrest that escalated earlier this week after a federal agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan national who federal officials said began to resist arrest and “violently assault” one of its officers.

But heated clashes could soon turn frigid as plunging temperatures and fierce winds of 30 to 40 mph blast through the Twin Cities. By Friday evening, the wind chill will plummet below zero degrees – and it’s expected to stay that way until the middle of next week.

From Saturday night into Sunday morning, the actual temperatures will drop below zero, with blustery winds ushering wind chills as low as -20 degrees.

Here’s what else to know:

  • Lawmakers hold “field hearing”: At 10 a.m. ET Friday, Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota are hosting what they call a “field hearing” in St. Paul, Minnesota, titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota.” The lawmakers are expected to hold a press conference after the event.
  • Insurrection Act: Trump raised the prospect of invoking the centuries-old law, which would allow the deployment of US troops to Minnesota. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it is a “tool at the president’s disposal” and Trump’s warning “spoke very loud and clear to Democrats across this country.” The president previously threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to anti-ICE protests in Portland last fall and, in 2020, he threatened to use the act to quell protests after George Floyd was killed.
  • Legal battle: Teresa Nelson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, called Trump’s Insurrection Act threats “unnecessary, dangerous and wrong.” The organization also filed a class-action lawsuit against the federal government Thursday, claiming immigration agents violated US citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.
  • Clashes continue: Federal officers deployed tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse a group of protesters at the Whipple Federal Building late Thursday. Earlier, loudspeakers warned demonstrators against blocking the building’s driveway, as some in the group kicked and threw items at exiting vehicles. Some protesters were taken into custody, US Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino told Fox News. CNN reached out to DHS for details.
  • Another ICE-involved shooting: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, was shot and injured by an ICE agent on Wednesday after he resisted arrest and started to “violently assault” the agent, according to federal officials. The Department of Homeland Security said two other Venezuelans were also detained after they attacked the agent with a shovel and broomstick while he was trying to arrest Sosa-Celis. All three men are living in the US illegally, according to officials.
  • Renee Good: More than a week has passed since an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. Her family’s lawyers are demanding that all evidence tied to her death, including Good’s car, cellphone video, dashcam video and communications between agents, be preserved as part of a civil investigation that could lead to a lawsuit. An incident report and 911 transcripts from Minneapolis officials illustrate the chaotic minutes after the tragedy and reveal new information on Good’s multiple gunshot wounds.
  • Twin cities on alert: Federal agents pulled over two vans of students and staff on their way to school in St. Paul, Minnesota, in separate incidents this week, a school district spokesperson said. Starting next week, students “who do not feel comfortable coming to school” can participate in virtual learning, Saint Paul Public Schools said in a Facebook post.

The-CNN-Wire
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