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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Russian air strikes injured 13 and damaged buildings in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and in the Black Sea port city of Odesa in the early hours of Thursday, officials said on the Telegram messaging app.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped the war against Iran was nearing its end and that Tehran wanted to reach a deal, but Iran dismissed his comments as “mixed signals” as the conflict approaches its seventh month.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 18 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of science.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia’s first State Duma election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is testing the country’s political system as voters choose a new parliament amid wartime and economic pressures.
From Russia’s parliamentary election and Germany’s regional votes to the U.S. midterms, several major elections are taking place in September and November of 2026. Meanwhile, Sweden has already voted, with parties now negotiating to form a new government.
Pakistan has described the situation around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as “exceptionally serious”, calling for dialogue and diplomacy as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensify.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are taking “concrete steps” to make a recently signed joint defence pact operational, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.
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