Jail411 archive report
Published March 11, 2026 · Updated March 22, 2026
Federal immigration agents defied multiple court orders during enforcement operations in Minneapolis last week, physically removing at least two individuals from courthouse steps moments after judges had ordered their release, according to attorneys and witnesses who were present during the incidents.
The confrontations — captured in part on cell phone video that has since circulated widely — represent what legal experts say is an extraordinary escalation in the conflict between federal immigration enforcement and the judicial system. They also come amid growing anger in Minneapolis over two fatal shootings by federal officers during immigration operations earlier this year.
Courthouse Confrontations
In the most dramatic incident, attorneys say an ICE enforcement team of roughly eight officers positioned themselves outside the Hennepin County courthouse on March 5 and detained a man who had just been ordered released on bond by an immigration judge. The man's attorney, who was walking beside him, said agents grabbed her client within sight of the courthouse doors and placed him in an unmarked vehicle.
A second incident occurred two days later at the same courthouse, when officers detained a woman leaving a routine check-in hearing. Her attorney said a judge had explicitly confirmed her compliance with all court-ordered conditions minutes earlier. Both individuals were transported to ICE processing facilities and their current locations remain unclear — a situation that underscores the importance of knowing how to find someone in detention.
ICE has not commented on the specific incidents but issued a statement saying the agency "conducts targeted enforcement operations in compliance with federal law" and that "no location is off-limits for enforcement activity."
Two Fatal Shootings Fuel Outrage
The courthouse incidents have intensified anger that has been building in Minnesota since January, when two people were fatally shot by federal officers during immigration enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area.
Renee Good, 42, was shot and killed on January 7 during what authorities described as an enforcement action at a residential address. Alex Pretti, 29, was killed on January 24 under circumstances that remain largely undisclosed by federal authorities. Neither shooting has resulted in criminal charges, and federal agencies have released minimal information about the investigations.
The cases have exposed a gap in accountability structures. Unlike local and state police officers, who are typically subject to independent review boards, body camera requirements, and state use-of-force statutes, federal officers operating under immigration authority face a different — and often less transparent — oversight framework.
Local Officials Push Back
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and members of the city council have called for full federal transparency on both shootings and demanded that immigration enforcement operations cease in and around courthouses, hospitals, and schools. The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously last week to direct county attorneys to explore legal options for restricting federal enforcement activities on county property.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order in February directing state agencies not to assist with federal immigration enforcement absent a valid judicial warrant, though the order has no direct authority over federal agents operating independently. Understanding how the bail and bond system works is relevant context for the individuals caught in these enforcement actions.
A National Pattern
The Minneapolis confrontations are not isolated. Attorneys in at least four other states have reported federal agents detaining individuals at or near courthouses in recent weeks, prompting the American Bar Association to issue a formal statement condemning the practice as a threat to judicial independence and due process.
Several federal judges have begun issuing specific orders prohibiting the arrest of individuals on courthouse grounds immediately following hearings, though enforcement of such orders against a coordinate branch of the federal government raises novel legal questions. Legal observers note that the Hennepin County incidents could become a test case for the limits of federal enforcement authority in proximity to judicial proceedings.
For now, attorneys in Minneapolis say they have begun advising clients to leave courthouses through side exits and to avoid lingering on courthouse grounds — precautions that several judges have described from the bench as deeply troubling.