At a Glance
- Pastor Kenny Callaghan says ICE agents handcuffed and taunted him near a Minneapolis protest
- He claims an agent waved a gun at him and repeatedly asked, “Are you afraid now?”
- Callaghan was freed after an agent allegedly said, “You’re white and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway”
- Why it matters: The pastor’s account fuels scrutiny of ICE tactics during immigration sweeps
A Minneapolis pastor says federal immigration agents detained and mocked him after he tried to shield a woman from arrest outside his church. Pastor Kenny Callaghan of All God’s Children MCC told News Of Losangeles the confrontation unfolded on the morning of January 7 as he walked toward a protest on Portland Avenue.
Detention on Portland Avenue
Callaghan said he first noticed commotion when he heard whistles and car horns outside the church. He grabbed his own whistles and headed toward the noise, snapping a few photos as an SUV rolled down the street. He pocketed his phone after spotting agents surrounding a “brown-skinned woman.”
As the crowd began chanting, “We are not afraid,” Callaghan said he stepped forward, urging the agents to arrest him instead of the woman.
“Before I knew it, they were putting handcuffs on my arms and they asked me, ‘Are you afraid now?'” he recalled.
Callaghan told News Of Losangeles he was placed in the back of the SUV with two other detainees while agents returned multiple times to question him. Each visit, he said, featured the same taunt: “Are you afraid now?”
The pastor said agents also demanded his ID and phone. When he asked whether he was under arrest, the questioning paused briefly. At one point, he alleged, an agent waved a gun near his face.
“Fear flickered for a moment,” he said, “but it was quickly overtaken by outrage.”
Release and Alleged Remark
After less than an hour in custody, Callaghan said an agent opened the door and delivered a dismissive explanation for his release.
“Well, you’re white, and you wouldn’t be any fun anyway. Get out of the car,” Callaghan quoted the agent as saying.
He walked away convinced the agents were “there for sport,” not public safety.
Context of Broader Unrest
The incident occurred amid heightened tension in Minneapolis after driver Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an immigration enforcement operation.
Callaghan told News Of Losangeles the experience strengthened his resolve to intervene if he witnesses similar treatment again.
“I will always stand up for people who are being mistreated for simply being human,” he said. “It is not right. It is wrong.”
News Of Losangeles contacted the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Key Takeaways
- Callaghan estimates he was detained for under 60 minutes after attempting to divert agents’ attention from a woman they had surrounded
- He describes the encounter as intimidation, saying agents repeatedly asked if he was afraid while he remained handcuffed in the SUV
- The pastor links the episode to wider criticism of ICE tactics, coming days after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good
- Despite the ordeal, Callaghan says he would step in again to defend anyone he believes is being targeted unfairly
