Trump orders federal agents to stay away from protests in Democrat cities

US president instructs Department of Homeland Security not to intervene in protests in Democrat-run cities unless they ask for federal help.Published On 1 Feb 2026‍United States President Donald Trump has ordered the ‍Department of Homeland ⁠Security (DHS) to avoid getting involved ​in protests in Democrat-run cities unless they ask for federal help.The announcement on Saturday followed weeks of protests sparked by a large deployment of Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents ​to the city of Minneapolis, and the killing of two US citizens by federal agents there.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US judge declines to halt immigration surge in Minnesota amid protestslist 2 of 4Milan protests decry ‘creeping fascism’ of ICE role at Winter Olympicslist 3 of 4Brief US government shutdown begins after funding deadline lapseslist 4 of 4US protesters hold nationwide strike against Trump’s immigration policiesend of listTrump, a Republican, said on his Truth Social platform that he has instructed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that “under no circumstances are we going to participate” in Democrat-run cities with regard to protests “unless, and until, they ask us for help”.But ICE and Border Patrol will act aggressively to protect federal buildings, he wrote.“There will be no spitting in the faces of our Officers, there will be no punching or kicking the headlights of our cars, and there will be no rock or brick throwing at our vehicles, or at our Patriot Warriors. If there is, those people will suffer an equal, or more, consequence,” he said.“We will not allow our Courthouses, Federal Buildings, or anything else under our protection, to be damaged in any way, shape, or form,” he added.There was no immediate comment from the DHS or the office of Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey.Trump launched his immigration crackdown last year, targeting Democrat-led states and cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, saying the militarised operations were necessary to remove criminals from the US.