Minneapolis pastor says ICE detained him at protest and an agent mocked his race on release

People reports that Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC said he was detained by ICE on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 7, after heading toward protests near his Minneapolis church.

Callaghan told Fox 9 Minneapolis that he heard whistles and car horns, grabbed his own whistles and moved toward the commotion, took a few photos as a vehicle drove down Portland Avenue, then pocketed his phone when he noticed agents surrounding a "brown-skinned woman." He said he joined a crowd chanting "We are not afraid," tried to redirect attention toward himself and was handcuffed; he recalled agents asking, "Are you afraid now?" while he was held in an SUV with two other detainees. He said agents returned multiple times to question him, asked for his ID and his phone, that an agent allegedly waved a gun in his face, and that on release an agent told him, "Well, you're white, and you wouldn't be any fun anyway. Get out of the car."

Callaghan said he was detained for less than an hour and walked away feeling shaken, saying the agents "were actually there for sport" and that he "will always stand up for people who are being mistreated for simply being human." The report said DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The encounter came amid unrest in Minneapolis after driver Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mom, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an immigration enforcement operation.

Key Topics

Politics, Kenny Callaghan, All God's Children, Ice, Dhs, Renee Nicole Good