Ice chased out of target
Executive summary
Videos and local reporting show federal agents detaining two people at the Richfield Target on Jan. 8–9, 2026, which prompted protests demanding Target bar ICE from its property without judicial warrants and train employees on their rights [1] [2] [3]. None of the provided sources, however, document that protesters successfully “chased ICE out” of the store or forced a formal change to Target policy — reporting establishes heightened public backlash and a pattern of retail-area enforcement, not a definitive ejection of agents by crowds [2] [4].
1. What the video and eyewitness accounts actually show
Cellphone and newsroom video circulated showing SUVs and federal agents at the Target entrance, two men held to the ground and handcuffed, and the men later taken into custody — footage that local outlets described as agents “taking two people into custody” at the Richfield location [1] [5]. Multiple reports say the men appeared to be wearing Target uniforms and that at least one man told agents he was a U.S. citizen and had a passport; State Rep. Michael Howard said he spoke to the two and that they were citizens who had been “roughed up” before being released [6] [2].
2. The immediate public response and protest demands
Within days of the detentions a large crowd gathered outside the Richfield Target and at other civic sites, with organizers demanding Target require judicial warrants before allowing ICE on private property and asking the company to train employees about their rights when federal agents arrive [2] [3]. Demonstrations included calls for Target to take a public stance and to protect employees and customers from federal agents who officials and activists said were increasingly patrolling retail locations [2] [3].
3. Broader pattern reported across the Twin Cities
Reporting from local outlets describes multiple ICE and CBP operations across Twin Cities retail and grocery locations the same period — incidents at Walmarts, Hy‑Vee, Home Depot and other shopping centers were documented or reported by witnesses and video, prompting journalism that characterized the events as an “emerging pattern” of targeting public retail spaces [4] [7]. Bring Me The News and other outlets noted a wider enforcement sweep in the region following the high‑profile killing of Renee Good, tying the operations to a broader federal enforcement push [4].
4. What is and isn’t established about “chasing out” ICE
The sources document protests, public anger, and calls for corporate policy changes, but none present verified evidence that protesters physically expelled ICE agents from Target property or that Target changed its internal policies in response [2] [3]. News outlets repeatedly sought comment from Target; WCCO and other outlets reported outreach but had not received a formal statement on store protocols at the time of reporting [2] [6]. Therefore the factual claim that protesters “chased ICE out of Target” is not supported by the material provided.
5. Stakes, competing narratives, and why this matters
Advocates frame the events as civil‑rights and public‑safety concerns — arguing federal agents operating in stores threaten immigrants, workers and customers — while federal agencies frame such actions as lawful enforcement operations; local reporting shows both the visceral public reaction and the operational reality of arrests in public commercial spaces [3] [4]. Journalistic accounts suggest an implicit agenda on multiple sides: organizers pressing corporations for policy clarity and civil‑liberties protection, and law enforcement emphasizing broader immigration enforcement goals; the reporting makes clear the episode fed already high tensions without proving that a crowd forced ICE to abandon the location [2] [4].