(Minneapolis, Minnesota) – Minnesota National Guard troops were seen handing out coffee and donuts to anti-ICE protesters in St. Paul over the weekend, a move that drew attention as tensions remain high following recent fatal encounters involving federal immigration agents.
Video footage showed National Guard members wearing reflective yellow vests distributing coffee and donuts from the back of a vehicle. One guardsman told local station WCCO that the gesture was intended as a “demonstration of safety and security” amid ongoing protests.
The Minnesota National Guard had previously stated on social media that troops deployed to the Twin Cities would wear reflective vests to distinguish themselves from other law enforcement agencies operating in the area.
The interaction occurred one day after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, during a Department of Homeland Security operation in south Minneapolis. Federal officials initially said Pretti confronted agents with a handgun and resisted efforts to disarm him.
However, bystander video and eyewitness accounts circulating online have raised questions about whether Pretti posed an immediate threat at the time he was shot.
Pretti’s death followed another fatal incident weeks earlier, in which ICE officers shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during a separate enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
Following the earlier shooting, Democratic officials — including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey — encouraged public demonstrations against ICE, prompting a federal investigation into whether local leaders impeded law enforcement activities.
On Sunday, Walz again criticized federal operations in the state, calling on President Donald Trump to withdraw federal agents from Minnesota following Pretti’s death. Trump told The Wall Street Journal that his administration is “reviewing everything” related to the incident.
The National Guard has not indicated whether the distribution of food and beverages was part of a broader engagement strategy or a one-time action, as investigations into the recent shootings continue.
