Protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis on Friday, 30 January, joined by student walkouts across the United States, demanding the withdrawal of federal immigration agents after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot in the city.
The demonstrations came amid controversy over President Donald Trump’s Operation Metro Surge, which deployed 3,000 federal officers—five times the size of the Minneapolis Police Department—to patrol the streets in tactical gear.
Protesters braved sub‑freezing temperatures in downtown Minneapolis, with families, elderly residents and young activists calling for an end to the aggressive tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Teachers and school staff also joined demonstrations near the sites of the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, while rock star Bruce Springsteen performed at a fundraiser for the victims, debuting his song Streets of Minneapolis.
Organisers reported around 250 nationwide protests in 46 states, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, under the slogan: “No work. No school. No shopping. Stop funding ICE.”
The federal response has drawn criticism. Acting FBI chief of the Minneapolis field office, Jarrad Smith, was reassigned to headquarters, while former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested for protesting inside a St. Paul church.
An internal ICE memo reportedly expanded agents’ authority to arrest without a warrant, prompting further backlash.
Viral videos of heavily armed ICE agents have driven approval of Trump’s immigration policy to the lowest level of his second term, according to a Reuters poll.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called for a full drawdown of federal forces, while Trump signalled only a limited de‑escalation, insisting his officers would continue operations.
Nationwide, schools from Aurora, Colorado, to Brooklyn, New York, saw walkouts and cancelled classes, as students carried signs denouncing ICE and the federal operation.
At DePaul University in Chicago, protesters declared their campus a “sanctuary” and condemned federal tactics as “fascist.”
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, marking the start of high-level talks between the two NATO allies.
This week's Washington meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Trump is not routine, says geopolitical analyst Ilan Scialom, calling it a “high-stakes preventive diplomatic strike” to secure Israel’s strategic priorities ahead of potential Iran talks.
The United States and Azerbaijan signed a new strategic partnership agreement in Baku on Tuesday, expanding cooperation on defence, energy security, artificial intelligence and economic ties.
The Philippine foreign ministry on Wednesday (11 February) called on the Chinese Embassy in Manila to adopt a “constructive” tone in its statements, amid an intensifying war of words between Chinese diplomats and Philippine officials, including senators.
JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday (9 February), becoming the first sitting U.S. Vice President to visit the country, as Yerevan and Washington agreed to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector in a bid to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus.
The United States and Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership in Baku on Tuesday (10 February) encompassing economic and security cooperation as Washington seeks to expand its influence in a region where Russia was once the main power broker.
Buckingham Palace said it is ready to support any police investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew shared confidential British trade documents with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as King Charles expressed “profound concern” over the latest revelations.
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, the Pentagon said on Monday.
This week's Washington meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Trump is not routine, says geopolitical analyst Ilan Scialom, calling it a “high-stakes preventive diplomatic strike” to secure Israel’s strategic priorities ahead of potential Iran talks.
Three people were injured after a gunman opened fire and held students and teachers hostage at a school in Hat Yai district in southern Thailand on Wednesday, police said.
The Philippine foreign ministry on Wednesday (11 February) called on the Chinese Embassy in Manila to adopt a “constructive” tone in its statements, amid an intensifying war of words between Chinese diplomats and Philippine officials, including senators.
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, stunned viewers by publicly admitting he had cheated on his girlfriend and pleaded for another chance during post-race interviews.
Kyiv is preparing to outline a simultaneous return to the ballot box and a public vote on a potential peace settlement, the Financial Times reports. It would mark a pivotal shift in the country's political landscape on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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