A new disturbing video that has been widely circulated on social media has increased public outrage. Minnesotacapturing federal agents with ICE spraying chemical irritants in the faces of protesters during a raid Tuesday at Bro-Tex in St. Paul. The clip offers the clearest and most visceral look yet at how the confrontation between community members and federal agents escalated.
The footage begins with dozens of protesters crowding around an unmarked federal vehicle as they try to leave the scene. Chants fill the air as people join hands, refusing to move. The situation is tense but non-violent; several protesters are holding phones and recording the confrontation.
Then suddenly the agent swings open the passenger door.
Without warning, he lifts the canister and releases a stream of chemicals directly into the face of a woman standing less than five feet away. She stumbles back, gasping, as those around her scream in shock. Another agent exits the back of the vehicle and repeats the action, spraying the line of protesters. The cloud quickly dissipates and the people step back, gasping for breath.
Reddit users were stunned by the brazenness of the moment. “A leaf blower is useless when someone is spraying you in the face from less than 5 feet away, as we see in this video,” one commenter noted. Others focused on the lack of restraint: “He sprayed two women because one pointed the finger at him? These freaks are out of control.”
While Tuesday's raid has already attracted attention, the video has become the defining image of the operation. Where eyewitness accounts describe chemical munitions, shoving and vehicles pushing through crowds, the clip provides visual confirmation of what protesters say is unnecessary and disproportionate force.
It has also sparked conversations about preparedness and safety. In a Reddit thread, users exchanged tips: respirators, swimming goggles, whistles and documentation protocols. One commenter provided a link to extensive guidance on eye and lung protection during demonstrations, which others quickly bookmarked.
Tuesday's raid comes amid a major expansion of federal immigration enforcement. As previously reported, newly hired ICE officers are being deployed across the country following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which more than tripled the agency's budget. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Minnesota is one of the targeted deployment areas.
Local authorities have struggled to respond to the public outcry. St. Paul police were noticeably absent from the scene in Breaux-Tex following criticism of Minneapolis police's involvement in a similar raid over the summer. According to Minnesota ReformersMayor Melvin Carter met with protesters afterward and later released a statement acknowledging the community's concerns: “While we do not have details at this time, I share the concerns and fears this is causing our workers, families and the entire community.”
But online, those fears have already morphed into a broader conversation about power, accountability and the opacity of federal operations. Many Reddit users expressed dismay that the agents behaved “unprofessionally” and “indistinguishable from criminal thugs,” especially given their ability to operate with minimal local oversight.
The shots themselves are hard to watch, not because they are graphic, but because they are so casual. There is no tactical urgency, no visible threat to the agents. Spraying appears less like crowd control protocol and more like a sudden decision made out of frustration or intimidation.
For many Minnesotans, that's what resonates.
Miguel Hernandez of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, who spoke to reporters at the scene, summed up the community's reaction: “This blatant display of cruelty – we want answers. We want accountability.”
Doesn't offer video either. What it does provide is compelling evidence of what is already becoming a boiling point in Minnesota's escalating conflict over federal immigration enforcement.
As more videos and first-hand accounts emerge, the question looming over the Bro-Tex raid only grows: If federal agents react this way in broad daylight, surrounded by cameras, what happens when those cameras aren't there?
