Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• ICE mass enforcement operation in Minnesota arrests 2,400+ immigrants, including legal residents and refugees — The Trump administration deployed approximately 3,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota in what it described as its largest enforcement operation to date. More than 2,400 people were arrested in recent weeks, many swiftly transferred to out-of-state detention centers or removed from the country. The Guardian confirmed that several refugees with legal status and individuals with valid visas were arrested. Families were separated during arrests at homes, workplaces, schools, and public spaces. Two documented cases involved Paulo Sosa Garcia and Ramona Cecilia Silva, arrested while driving to work after their legal residency case had been approved five days prior, and Tomas Martinez Gregorio, detained while being driven to his son's medical appointment.
• ICE worksite raids result in mass arrests without due process — Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted worksite raids in major US cities including Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago, resulting in the arrest of thousands of immigrants. The article characterizes these arrests as occurring "without due process" and notes they triggered massive protests demanding federal agents leave communities and be held accountable for alleged human rights abuses. These raids occurred in the context of Trump's 2025 immigration crackdown and contributed to the broader outcry that followed Good's death.

Supporting reports

• Representative Shri Thanedar announces plan to introduce "Abolish ICE Act" — Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar from Michigan announced his intention to introduce the "Abolish ICE Act," legislation designed to dismantle the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and strip it of its current enforcement authority. The announcement came in response to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good and escalating public outcry over ICE operations, including 32 deaths in custody in 2025 and mass arrests during worksite raids. The proposal reflects a shift in mainstream political discourse; for the first time, polling shows more US adults support eliminating ICE than oppose it.

Supporting reports

• Attorney General Pam Bondi fires six federal prosecutors over insufficient support for ICE — Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Fox News that she had fired six federal prosecutors who resigned over DOJ pressure to investigate Renee Nicole Good's widow rather than the ICE agent's conduct. Bondi characterized the prosecutors' departure as a failure to "sufficiently support law enforcement," stating "We had six prosecutors who suddenly decided they didn't want to support the men and women of ICE. So, the breaking news tonight is I fired them all."

Supporting reports

• Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit seeking California voter data — U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled Thursday that the Trump administration's Justice Department is not entitled to sensitive California voter information, including dates of birth and last four social security digits. The DOJ had sued California after the state's secretary of state refused to provide unredacted voter rolls, claiming the data was needed to verify voter eligibility. Carter found the request threatened voting rights and democracy, noting evidence the government intended to use the data for immigration enforcement and create a centralized database. The ruling blocks one of 24 similar lawsuits filed across states.

Supporting reports

• U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez prohibits DHS retaliation against protesters — U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez in Minneapolis issued an order prohibiting agents from the Department of Homeland Security from retaliating against or arresting peaceful protesters, using pepper spray or other less-lethal weapons against them, or stopping or detaining people following their vehicles. The judge's decision detailed how agents had treated protesters based on sworn testimony from plaintiffs, while noting that DHS agents did not provide sworn declarations from officers present at the incidents, instead relying on a declaration from the acting field office director who was not present at any of the incidents.
• Motion granted — Tincher v. Noem (D. Minn.) 0:25-cv-04669 — Judge Menendez granted Plaintiffs' motion in part, prohibiting federal agents from arresting, threatening, or using force against individuals solely for observing, recording, or verbally criticizing immigration enforcement activity, absent probable cause or a lawful order to disperse. The court also restricted the use of chemical irritants and other force against non-violent observers and imposed limits on vehicle stops.

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• Federal appeals court overturns detention challenge ruling in Mahmoud Khalil case — A federal appeals court overturned the ruling in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate arrested in March 2025 for pro-Palestinian activism. The reversal opens the door to his eventual re-detention. Khalil, whose initial arrest was cited as the first target of Trump's effort to deport noncitizen students with pro-Palestinian views, plans to appeal the appellate decision.
• US appeals court reverses lower court decision freeing Palestinian activist from ICE detention — A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed a lower court's order releasing Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student, from immigration detention. The court found that the district court lacked jurisdiction to hear Khalil's habeas petition, ruling that immigration courts—not federal courts—have authority over such claims. Khalil had been detained in March 2025 after the Trump administration argued his pro-Palestinian activism constituted a threat to US foreign policy. He was released in June 2025 but now faces potential re-detention.

Supporting reports

• Illinois Governor forms accountability commission for federal immigration enforcement — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker formed an accountability commission to document activities of federal ICE officers during the "Midway Blitz" operation. The commission's stated intent is to analyze documented conduct of federal officers and identify conduct requiring corrective action and remediation based on egregiousness and community impact.
• New York Attorney General launches evidence portal for federal immigration misconduct — New York Attorney General Letitia James launched an online portal to gather evidence of federal ICE misconduct following October 2025 raids on Canal Street. State legislator Julia Salazar called for arrest and prosecution of ICE officers who assault New Yorkers. This initiative reflects state-level efforts to document and prosecute federal agents when the federal government declines to do so.

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• White House press secretary attacks reporter over ICE custody deaths question — During a White House press briefing on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to reporter Niall Stanage's question about ICE deaths and the killing of Renee Good by launching a personal attack, calling him a "leftwing activist" and "leftwing hack" rather than answering substantively. Stanage had cited statistics showing 32 ICE custody deaths last year and 170 wrongful US citizen detentions, then asked how this aligns with the administration's claim that ICE is "doing everything correctly." Leavitt deflected by attacking the reporter's credibility and bias.

Supporting reports

• Tom Homan announced plan to create database of immigration enforcement critics — Tom Homan, Trump's immigration enforcement official, announced on Fox News that the administration will create a database of people interfering with ICE operations and publicize their identities, employers, neighborhoods, and schools. The stated goal is to expose critics and make them targets of public identification.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration officials cast doubt on flu vaccine effectiveness amid record illness rates — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, publicly questioned the necessity and effectiveness of flu vaccines despite record-breaking illness rates, hospitalizations, and deaths. The administration changed flu vaccine recommendations for children to "shared clinical decision-making" in early January, and the CDC halted its "Wild to Mild" vaccination campaign. Kennedy claimed no scientific evidence supports flu vaccine effectiveness in children, contradicting CDC studies. Vaccination rates have fallen to 42.5% in children and 43.5% in adults.

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• Trump claims he has ended eight wars and deserves Nobel Peace Prize — When asked why he accepted another person's Nobel Peace Prize, Trump stated that Machado told him "you've ended eight wars and nobody deserves this prize more than—in history—than you do." Trump repeated this claim multiple times in subsequent interviews, asserting that he has ended eight wars but "didn't get the Nobel Peace Prize," despite no independent verification of this claim.
• Trump accepts Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegian Nobel Committee, presented the medal to President Trump at the White House on January 16, 2026. Trump accepted the medal despite the Norwegian Nobel Institute's explicit statement that Nobel Prizes "cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others." Trump claimed Machado offered it to him and praised her as "a very fine woman," framing the transfer as a personal gesture recognizing his claimed role in ending wars.

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• Vice President Vance announces White House-based assistant attorney general position reporting directly to president and vice president — Vice President JD Vance announced creation of a new assistant attorney general position with nationwide jurisdiction over fraud investigations, to be based in the White House and answering directly to Vance and President Trump rather than Attorney General Pam Bondi at DOJ headquarters. Vance made the announcement the day after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, framing Good as part of a "far-left network" and implying the new position would target Trump's political opponents, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Supporting reports

• Trump administration deploys largest ICE operation in DHS history to Minnesota — The Trump administration has deployed approximately 3,000 immigration officers to Minnesota or is in the process of deploying them as part of what federal officials describe as the largest operation in Department of Homeland Security history. The massive militarized operation has transformed daily life in the region, prompting residents to organize volunteer patrols to monitor ICE activity, document arrests, provide legal aid, and deliver food to families fearful of leaving their homes. The operation has created a climate of fear affecting entire communities, including disruption of children's school attendance and normal civic life.

Supporting reports

• Clergy and activists hold sit-in and protest at Target headquarters — On January 15, 2026, over 100 clergy members organized by the interfaith group Isaiah held a press conference outside Target's downtown Minneapolis store, demanding that DHS end its immigration enforcement surge. They then walked to Target's headquarters, where they sang "This Little Light of Mine" in the lobby and livestreamed the action, which drew 20,000 views. On January 19, nearly 100 leaders and supporters of SURJ-TC and Unidos held a sit-in at the downtown Minneapolis Target store.

Supporting reports

• Minnesota Governor Walz calls for documentation of ICE "atrocities" and promises future prosecution — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a public call to action urging state residents to record ICE enforcement activities, characterizing them as "atrocities" and "organized brutality" by the federal government. Walz stated that ICE agents are "going door-to-door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live" and called on Minnesotans to "carry your phone at all times" to establish an evidentiary record. He promised that "accountability is coming, in the voting booth and in court," signaling intent to pursue legal action against federal agents and the administration.
• Governor Tim Walz described federal immigration enforcement as organized brutality — Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) stated on MSNBC that federal immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota constitute organized brutality and a campaign against the people of the state. Walz described agents pulling over people indiscriminately including U.S. citizens, demanding papers at grocery stores and bus stops, breaking windows, dragging pregnant women, and placing people in unmarked vans without warning or due process. Walz referenced Trump's online threat of "retribution and reckoning" against Minnesota for voting against him three times.
• Minnesota Governor Walz appeals to Trump to reduce tensions — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appealed directly to President Trump on social media, asking him to "turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are." Walz also appealed to Minnesotans not to provide the administration an excuse to send in troops, stating "We can—we must—speak out loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. We cannot fan the flames of chaos."
• Governor Walz appeals to Trump to de-escalate tensions — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz publicly appealed to President Trump to reduce tensions and avoid sending in federal troops, urging citizens to speak out peacefully against the administration's actions.
• Minnesota Governor Walz calls for documentation of ICE enforcement — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz asked Minnesotans to document ICE enforcement activities, stating they have "an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents as they conduct these activities" and called for creation of "a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans" to establish a record and bank evidence for future prosecution.

Supporting reports

• ACLU and attorneys file class-action lawsuit against Trump administration for alleged racial profiling by ICE in Minneapolis — On 15 January 2026, the ACLU and other attorneys filed a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging that ICE agents engaged in racial profiling and unlawful arrest of three Minnesotans and others in the Minneapolis area. The lawsuit was filed amid a broader pattern of reported targeting of Latino and Somali communities by federal agents deployed to the region. One plaintiff, a US citizen, reported being stopped by masked ICE agents while walking to lunch; in another incident, ICE officers asked people of color for documentation of legal status while they charged electric vehicles.
• Minnesota, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul sue to halt Operation Metro Surge — The states of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul filed lawsuits seeking to halt Operation Metro Surge, the federal ICE deployment of approximately 2,000 agents to the Twin Cities area. The legal action challenged the scope and conduct of the federal enforcement operation. The ACLU filed a separate federal case alleging unconstitutional stops, detentions, and racial profiling by ICE agents conducting the operation.
• ACLU files lawsuit against Trump administration alleging racial profiling and unlawful arrests by ICE in Minnesota — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a 72-page lawsuit on January 16, 2026, against the Trump administration, naming the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants. The suit alleges that federal immigration agents in Minnesota have engaged in systematic racial profiling and unlawful arrests targeting Somali and Latino communities, including U.S. citizens. The lawsuit documents cases of detained citizens who were not asked about their citizenship status, were denied basic rights, and were subjected to violence, including pepper-spraying of a plaintiff recording from a public sidewalk.

Supporting reports

• Pete Hegseth announced Pentagon takeover of Stars and Stripes editorial content — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the Department of War is taking over editorial content decision-making for Stars and Stripes, the military publication. Hegseth stated the publication would be refocused away from "woke distractions" and toward warfighting, weapons systems, and military lethality. The Pentagon's statement challenged the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, which has long retained independence under a congressional mandate governed by First Amendment principles.
• Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin defended editorial independence — Stars and Stripes Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin responded to the Pentagon's takeover announcement by reaffirming the publication's commitment to First Amendment principles and editorial independence. Slavin stated that military personnel who risk their lives in defense of the Constitution have earned the right to press freedoms and accurate, balanced coverage with accountability for military officials.
• Pentagon strikes policy protecting Stars and Stripes editorial independence, seizes control of military newspaper — The Trump administration's Department of Defense published a final rule in the Federal Register on Thursday striking previous policy that required Stars and Stripes to have a civilian editor and independent ombudsman. Pentagon officials will now control content "custom tailored to our warfighters," with the outlet directed to avoid "woke distractions" and focus exclusively on military topics. The action eliminates protections mandated by Congress and a defense department directive guaranteeing "free flow of news and information" without censorship.

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• White House posts image using white supremacist coded language on X — The White House official X account posted a cartoon of Greenlandic dog sled teams with the caption "Which way, Greenland man?" on Wednesday. According to Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, the phrase is coded white supremacist language referencing the 1978 neo-Nazi book "Which Way Western Man" by white nationalist William Gayley Simpson. The post appears designed to appeal to racist and white supremacist audiences while maintaining plausible deniability as commentary on Trump's stated ambitions regarding Greenland.

Supporting reports

• Trump denies economic conditions and dismisses polling as fake — In a Reuters interview, President Trump denied real economic conditions in the United States, calling polls showing public opposition to his threat to take Greenland "fake." He falsely claimed the economy was the strongest "in history" and stated he does not care that Senate Republicans object to the DOJ opening a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to force him out and give Trump control of the nation's financial system.

Supporting reports

• DHS Secretary Noem endorses Insurrection Act option and confirms discussions with Trump — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem appeared on television endorsing increased ICE and Border Patrol presence in Minnesota and stated that she has discussed the Insurrection Act directly with Trump. Noem affirmed that the president "certainly has the constitutional authority" to invoke the act and that it remains an option under consideration.
• Secretary Kristi Noem affirmed Trump's constitutional authority for Insurrection Act — Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated during a press gaggle in Minnesota that Trump's threat to invoke the Insurrection Act is within his constitutional authority. Noem said she spoke to Trump that morning and affirmed that the president has the constitutional right to use the Insurrection Act if he deems it necessary, characterizing it as an opportunity available to him in the future.

Supporting reports

• ICE agents shoot Julio Sosa Celis during traffic stop in Minneapolis — Two ICE deportation officers attempted to stop a vehicle in Minneapolis driven by Alfredo Aljorna, a Venezuelan national. After a brief chase and crash, Aljorna fled to an apartment building where his roommate Julio Sosa Celis stood holding a snow shovel. ICE agents claimed a violent three-minute altercation ensued in which they were attacked; one agent fired a single round, striking Sosa Celis in the thigh. Both men were initially charged with assaulting a federal officer.
• Minneapolis releases video contradicting ICE account of January shooting of Venezuelan man — The city of Minneapolis released security camera footage on April 7 showing a January 14 shooting by ICE officers that contradicted the federal agency's initial account. The video depicted a 12-second confrontation between officers and two Venezuelan men (Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis), whereas ICE claimed a three-minute struggle. Federal authorities had access to the video within hours but did not review it until nearly three weeks after charging the men. The charges were subsequently dropped in February, and a criminal investigation was opened into whether the officers lied under oath.
• Federal ICE agent shoots man in leg during Minneapolis enforcement operation — A federal immigration officer shot a man in the leg during a targeted traffic stop in north Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, January 15, 2026. The shooting sparked immediate protests involving several hundred people. DHS claimed the man resisted and attacked the officer, and that two others from a nearby apartment also attacked; the officer fired "defensively." The incident occurred amid an ongoing massive ICE operation in Minnesota involving approximately 3,000 officers, and follows the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent one week prior. The man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Supporting reports

• ICE detains 17-year-old high school girl and mother in apartment — On January 14, ICE agents forced their way into an apartment and detained a 17-year-old high school girl and her mother. The superintendent reported the agents "pushed their way into" the residence, indicating a warrantless or forcible entry into a private home.
• ICE detention of 17-year-old student and mother in Minneapolis — ICE agents entered an apartment and detained a 17-year-old female student and her mother on January 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. The agents were described as "armed and masked." This detention was part of a broader pattern of ICE enforcement actions targeting minors and families in the Columbia Heights and Minneapolis area.

Supporting reports

• ICE arrest near school campus during student arrival — On January 14, ICE agents arrested a father and his two children two blocks from a post-secondary special education campus just as students were arriving by bus. Bystanders and legal observers used whistles and car horns to alert the neighborhood, creating distress for autistic students sensitive to loud noises.

Supporting reports

• Capitol Police detain and misgendered trans activist J Gia Loving during Supreme Court protest — During protests outside the Supreme Court on January 14, 2026, Capitol Police detained J Gia Loving, co-executive director of the GSA Network, after an altercation with Jared L Ross of the Do No Harm organization. Police restrained Loving, denied her access to identification and legal counsel, and Capitol officers repeatedly misgendered her. She was released after approximately 20 minutes. Ross was detained and charged with misdemeanor simple assault. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between competing protest groups.

Supporting reports

• Trump suggests canceling 2026 midterm elections — In an Oval Office interview with Reuters on January 14, President Trump suggested the U.S. should not hold midterm elections as required by the Constitution because Republicans risk losing their majorities in the House and Senate. Trump stated that when a party wins the presidency, it typically loses the midterms, and claimed his accomplishments were so significant that "we shouldn't even have an election." The White House later claimed Trump was joking.
• Trump claims he should not face midterm election losses — In an interview with Reuters, President Trump complained about the historical pattern in which the party of a newly elected president loses seats in the midterms. Trump suggested he did not want to experience this pattern and stated that given his accomplishments, "when you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election."
• Trump stated elections should not occur — A Reuters article quoted Trump saying "When you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election." The statement was buried within the piece and represents a direct challenge to the constitutional requirement for periodic elections.
• Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act — President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota, claiming that if local politicians do not control the situation, he will take action. This statement raises concerns about the potential militarization of law enforcement in domestic matters.
• Trump threatens to retaliate against political opponents — Trump stated that if politicians in Minnesota do not control protests against ICE, he will invoke the Insurrection Act, framing the situation as an attack on federal law enforcement.