Federal authorities have arrested a Minneapolis man suspected of damaging windows at the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis during unrest earlier this month, the FBI said, per Fox News. The bureau identified the suspect as Georgio James-Jones, a local resident, and said the arrest follows a Jan. 7 protest that erupted after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot agitator Renee Good in the city.
During the protest, authorities allege James-Jones attempted to force entry into the Diana E. Murphy U.S. Courthouse and broke multiple windows.
In a statement posted on the social platform X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI and its partners located and detained James-Jones this week.
“This week, the FBI and partners arrested Georgio James-Jones – the individual who allegedly smashed windows attempting to breach a federal courthouse in Minneapolis last week. As the FBI has said repeatedly – if you attack law enforcement, impede their operations, or engage in violent, destructive behavior, this FBI will find you and bring you to justice,” Patel said.
Video circulated on social media from the Jan. 7 protest showed crowds at the courthouse shouting and banging on doors and glass. Some demonstrators were heard chanting anti-ICE slogans.
The incident occurred amid broader unrest in Minneapolis tied to federal immigration enforcement activity and the fatal shooting that triggered protests. Federal authorities have increased their presence in the city, and the Department of Justice has deployed additional officers and prosecutors to respond to related public safety and vandalism concerns.
A federal judge on Wednesday, meanwhile, declined to immediately block the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, saying there was insufficient time to fully consider legal arguments in the state’s request for a temporary restraining order.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, a Biden appointee, heard arguments in a lawsuit filed earlier this week by the State of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, which sought to halt a surge of ICE and other federal agents conducting sweeps across the state. Plaintiffs allege the federal campaign has involved warrantless arrests, excessive force, and violations of constitutional rights.
Menendez said at a hearing that she could not issue a ruling on Wednesday due to the complexity of legal issues and limited precedent addressing the scope of federal immigration enforcement authority in this context.
The judge set deadlines for the U.S. Justice Department to respond by Jan. 19 and for state officials to file additional arguments by Jan. 22, with a ruling on the restraining order expected later this month.
“That should not be taken as a prejudgment of the merits of either the plaintiff’s case or the anticipated defense that may be raised by the United States,” Menendez said. “It is simply observing that these are grave and important matters and that they are somewhat frontier issues in constitutional law.”
State officials, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, argued federal agents have engaged in heavy-handed tactics that have eroded public trust and endangered residents. Government attorneys countered that officials have had limited time to respond to the lawsuit and that the operations are lawful and necessary.
Also, there is limited precedent from federal courts that reign in federal agents and agencies from performing their constitutional and statutory duties anywhere in the United States or U.S. possessions.
As such, for now, the immigration sweeps will continue while the court weighs whether to impose restrictions or halt the activities.
Meanwhile, immigration enforcement may be ramping up at the Hennepin County Medical Center, the state’s largest public safety net hospital, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
MPR News reported on Wednesday that ICE agents were entering hospitals with detainees, sometimes without warrants, and – according to five Hennepin Healthcare nurses who requested to remain anonymous – were attending patient appointments.
