A harrowing new video circulating on r/minnesota has ignited fresh outrage over law enforcement’s conduct during federal immigration raids in St. Paul, Minnesota. The clip, filmed outside Bro-Tex Inc. during Tuesday’s ICE operation, shows a woman standing with a cane at the protest line before an officer steps forward and fires pepper spray directly into her face from only inches away.
The blast isn’t brief. It’s a sustained, point-blank stream, prompting one Reddit user to describe it as “a ‘you’re annoying me and I want you to suffer for it’ length of a blast.”
The moment is already being held up as the most shocking escalation since this week’s widely shared footage of St. Paul officers deploying mace and tear gas into a peaceful crowd protesting the same raid.
This new video suggests the situation has only deteriorated.
The footage begins quietly; protesters are shouting, but there’s no physical contact with police or ICE agents. The woman with a cane is stationary, not advancing. An officer moves toward her. There’s no warning, no gesture toward arrest, just the spray.
Within seconds, surrounding protesters yell for medics. The woman collapses back, blinded and coughing, while officers tighten their formation.
For many Minnesotans, it was the proximity of the spray that crossed a moral line. “That much pressure up close has to be damaging to the eyes,” one user wrote.
Why Are Police Helping ICE At All?
One of the biggest talking points in the comment thread was the presence of St. Paul Police Department officers alongside federal agents. City leadership has repeatedly stated that SPPD does not participate in immigration enforcement. Yet, multiple videos from the Bro-Tex raid show local officers operating in tandem with ICE and DHS.
Why are St. Paul police assisting the gestapo?”
Some framed the collaboration as part of a long-running culture clash between officers who live in far-suburban enclaves and the communities they police. One commenter argued that many SPPD officers “see the city as a war zone” and act accordingly.
The assault on the woman with a cane has reopened old wounds in a state still living with the legacy of 2020. Several users drew explicit parallels between this week’s actions and the police violence that marked earlier protest eras:
“People are being peaceful. People in power are attacking them. And then everyone else is filming. Why are we putting up with this?”
Another commenter, referencing the severe injury of a Minneapolis photojournalist five years ago, said this incident felt like part of a broader willingness to use life-altering force against civilians: “The day they shot her in the face with a rubber bullet they started her execution.”
What stands out in the thread is how little debate there is about what the video shows. Across political lines, even among those who support deportations, the sentiment was consistent: the use of force was unnecessary, punitive, and dangerous.
One of the most widely upvoted comments captured the prevailing frustration:
“They sprayed her like she wasn’t even human.”
City officials have yet to release a statement on the incident. ICE has not commented. SPPD has not addressed why local officers were present, nor whether the officer involved will face review.
