A scene of chaos and outrage unfolded Monday at Minneapolis’ Karmel Mall as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were accused of pinning a pregnant woman face down on the snow while bystanders scrambled to intervene.
Eyewitnesses described a tense standoff as the crowd tried to protect the woman. “We kept yelling, she’s pregnant, she’s pregnant, she’s pregnant,” one witness recalled. “They put their knees in her, and we kept telling them she can’t breathe, let her up, let her up.”
The situation quickly escalated, with the woman, who was handcuffed, “suddenly being dragged by one arm as the angry crowd threw snowballs and screamed at the federal agents,” WCCO reporter Esme Murphy reported.
The video circulating online captures the chaos, showing bystanders attempting to shield the woman and confront ICE agents as tensions reached a boiling point.
This incident has reignited intense debates about ICE tactics and the treatment of vulnerable individuals during enforcement actions. Advocates are questioning how a visibly pregnant woman could be subjected to such aggressive restraint, while community members are demanding accountability.
The images and eyewitness accounts have left many asking the same question on social media: How does an agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws justify methods that put a pregnant woman at risk?
Watch the clips below:
