Photojournalist pushed to the ground, pepper-sprayed at Minneapolis protest

Freelance photojournalist Tim Evans was shoved and pushed to the ground by federal officers while reporting on protests around an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 13, 2026.

Protests erupted in January in response to a federal immigration crackdown in the state, escalating further after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in her car by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Evans told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was on assignment for Reuters documenting ICE operations that day and had learned of an active house raid in the Central neighborhood of Minneapolis.

“I showed up on the scene along with other photographers around 9:40 a.m., as federal agents were knocking on the front door of a house. Observers had started to gather outside, whistling and shouting at agents to leave as they attempted to get the occupants to open the door,” he wrote in an account for the Tracker. “When agents brought out two Hispanic youths, the crowd became more upset, and scuffles broke out between agents and onlookers.”

Evans wrote that numerous individuals were tackled and detained, prompting him to put on his helmet, which bore labels that read “PRESS” in all caps.

Approximately 20 minutes later, federal agents dragged a woman — who said she was trying to reach her doctor’s office — out of her vehicle at an intersection nearby.

“As she was being carried by her arms and legs to a federal vehicle, I was photographing from down low in order to see her face, alongside numerous media,” Evans wrote. “Agents shouted at people to move back, and one of them shoved me hard in the shoulder, knocking me over onto my back.”

A couple of fellow journalists helped him back to his feet, and Evans continued to document the scene. The photojournalist said the situation continued to devolve over the next 20 minutes, with agents indiscriminately deploying tear gas.

When agents began to leave the area, Evans wrote that he saw a federal vehicle begin to drive past him, so he stepped forward to photograph the scene.

“As the vehicle passed, an agent shot pepper spray from out of his window, indiscriminately spraying numerous people,” he said. “I was sprayed directly in the eyes, which immediately blinded me.”

Evans said he called out for a colleague, who was able to help him retrieve a decontamination wipe and then led him to a nearby church after a disorientation weapon exploded behind them.

“I was unable to see as we walked. As we crossed the parking lot, tear gas engulfed us. I immediately began coughing and spitting and couldn’t breathe well,” Evans wrote.

He was able to rinse most of the chemical irritant from his face and return to his team outside, but said that his face continued to burn throughout the afternoon.

Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor ICE responded to requests for comment or additional information about the protest response that day. In a statement released the previous day, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agency’s presence in Minnesota but did not address the reported use of force against journalists.