While the First Amendment protects the freedom to protest peacefully, violent protests and obstruction of federal law enforcement operations are not protected activities and are generally illegal. Despite the number of clashes between federal immigration operations and unruly protesters, arrests have largely been conducted by federal agencies, not by state or local law enforcement, with the Minneapolis Police Department not reporting any surges in arrests. Minneapolis has been the epicenter of the protests for Operation Metro Surge, with both shootings involving federal law enforcement and protesters happening within the city limits. In both instances, the unruly protesters were killed by gunshots after confrontations with law enforcement. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced additional arrests in Minnesota on Wednesday, charging 16 people with assaulting federal law enforcement officers, and vowing that additional arrests would be announced in the future.