Minneapolis Pastor Says He Was Detained by ICE After Joining Protest, Told ‘You’re White’ and ‘Wouldn’t Be Any Fun Anyway’ on Release

Pastor Kenny Callaghan said he was detained by ICE for under an hour after joining a crowd protesting in Minneapolis

• Pastor Kenny Callaghan says he was detained by ICE in Minneapolis after heading toward a protest near his church
• He tells Fox 9 Minneapolis that agents repeatedly asked him, “Are you afraid now?” while he was in handcuffs inside an SUV
• Callaghan said he was eventually released after an agent allegedly told him, “You’re white and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway”

A Minneapolis pastor said he was detained by ICE after heading toward protests near his church. Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC shared his account with Fox 9 Minneapolis, saying the encounter unfolded on the morning of Wednesday, January 7th.

Responding to Commotion

Callaghan told the outlet he realized something was happening nearby when he heard whistles and car horns outside. He said he grabbed his own whistles and moved toward the commotion, only for the situation to escalate quickly.

He told Fox 9 he managed to take a few photos as the vehicle drove down Portland Avenue before pocketing his phone when he noticed agents surrounding a “brown-skinned woman.”

Attempting to Intervene

Callaghan said he joined in as a crowd chanted, “We are not afraid,” and tried to redirect attention toward himself, telling the agents to arrest him instead of the woman they were surrounding.

“Before I knew it, they were putting handcuffs on my arms and they asked me, ‘Are you afraid now?'” he recalled.

He said he answered, “No, I am not,” as agents continued detaining him. Callaghan told Fox 9 he was held in the SUV with two other detainees as agents returned multiple times to question him.

Repeated Intimidation

Callaghan said the message stayed the same during those check-ins, with agents repeatedly asking if he was afraid. He also said they asked for his ID and his phone while he remained in the back of the vehicle.

At one point, Callaghan said he asked whether he was under arrest and was left alone for a period of time afterward. He also told Fox 9 that an agent allegedly waved a gun in his face, and while fear flickered for a moment, it was quickly overtaken by outrage.

“And then they came back the last time and they said, ‘Are you afraid yet?'” he said. “And I said, ‘No.'”

The Racist Dismissal

Callaghan said he was ultimately released after an agent made a remark that he described as both dismissive and disturbing. “Well, you’re white, and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway. Get out of the car,” he recalled being told.

Callaghan said he was detained for less than an hour, but he walked away feeling shaken by what he believed the interaction revealed. “Now I was confronted with the fact that these ICE agents that are supposed to be keeping my neighborhood safe were actually there for sport,” he said.

A Commitment to Justice

Despite what he described as an intimidating encounter, Callaghan told Fox 9 he would not hesitate to step in again. “I will always stand up for people who are being mistreated for simply being human,” he said, adding, “It is not right. It is wrong.”

PEOPLE did not immediately hear back from DHS and ICE when contacted for comment.

Context: Renee Good’s Death

The incident involving Callaghan 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.

Disturbing Implications

Pastor Callaghan’s account raises deeply troubling questions about ICE agent conduct during the Minneapolis operations. If accurate, his experience suggests agents engaged in:

Racial Profiling: The explicit statement “You’re white and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway” indicates agents were specifically targeting people of color and found detaining white protesters less enjoyable or worthwhile.

Intimidation Tactics: The repeated questioning “Are you afraid now?” suggests agents were deliberately trying to terrorize detainees rather than simply processing them according to law enforcement protocols.

Weaponizing Detention: Callaghan’s observation that agents were “there for sport” aligns with concerns that some immigration enforcement actions prioritize intimidation over legitimate law enforcement objectives.