Armed Federal Agents Converge on Minneapolis High School, Leaving Students Terrified During Dismissal

The clash outside Roosevelt High School unfolded just hours after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, turning an already traumatizing day into a moment many families say no child should ever have to experience. As students were leaving campus, armed federal agents arrived following a vehicle pursuit, bringing chaos directly to a place meant to be safe for young people.

Carol, a nearby resident who witnessed the scene, described the shock of seeing “a caravan of SUVs” suddenly stop at the school as dismissal was underway. “All these men, who were fully armed, suddenly jumped out of the SUVs and started running towards the school,” she said. With hundreds of students outside, teachers and staff tried to shield them. “Some of the teachers and school workers were trying to keep the Border Patrol away from the students,” Carol said. “They just pushed [the teachers] away. I saw one teacher get tackled.”

Students watched as adults argued and scuffled steps from their classrooms. Neighbors rushed out, blowing whistles and shouting for agents to leave. “They were screaming at the Border Patrol people to get away from the school, get away from the students,” Carol said. She later described seeing Commander Gregory Bovino standing in a doorway while another agent filmed him. “They were filming this whole thing like it was a reality TV show,” she said. “He was looking at us with contempt, like we were not even human beings.”

Other witnesses echoed how frightening the moment was for youth. Evan Johnson said he saw “high school-age kids came running and looking scared and maybe even tearful.” One child, urged to get into a nearby car for safety, summed up the fear simply: “ICE is here.”

While the Department of Homeland Security claimed agents were responding to a crash involving a government vehicle and alleged an educator assaulted an agent, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers said an educator was arrested and released and accused agents of using tear gas, something the agency denied. The union was clear in its response: “We will not tolerate ICE inhibiting our city’s youth from their constitutional right to attend school safely or inhibiting educators from doing their job.”

In the aftermath, Minneapolis Public Schools closed all schools citywide “out of an abundance of caution.” For families, the message was unavoidable: children were forced to absorb fear, violence, and instability in a place meant for learning. As neighbor Kate Winkel said, “I think school property should be off-limits. I think our kids need to feel safe at school. The federal government doesn’t need to attack schools.”

Link: NBCNews