Incident details
- Date of incident
- January 24, 2026
- Location
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Targets
- Nick Valencia (Independent)
- Assailant
- Law enforcement
- Was the journalist targeted?
- No
Assault
A protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026, where independent journalist Nick Valencia said he was hit multiple times with tear gas canisters during his coverage.
Independent journalist Nick Valencia was struck in the shins by tear gas canisters launched by federal officers while documenting an immigration protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026.
Tensions between Minneapolis residents and federal agents have escalated after a sweeping federal immigration enforcement surge. Unrest intensified after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer killed resident Renee Good, an ICE officer shot and wounded a man and Border Patrol agents fatally shot resident Alex Pretti.
Valencia, a former CNN correspondent, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he arrived at the scene of an impromptu protest shortly after Pretti’s killing.
“Within 30 seconds of me getting there is when the first tear gas canister was let off,” he said. “The story didn’t wait for me to grab my gas mask, unfortunately.”
Gas canisters struck him in the shins. Others landed at his feet. None caused injuries, but the repeated exposure to the chemical irritants left his eyes watering.
“I was basically left blinded for about 90 seconds. I was violently dry heaving,” he said, describing some of the irritants as pepper spray on steroids.
Also that day, Valencia, who was wearing a press badge, was pushed by a Border Patrol agent.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
