PHOTOJOURNALISTS AND REPORTERS WERE INJURED WHILE COVERING A FEDERAL IMMIGRATION RAID IN ST. PAUL, MINN.
For release December 1, 2025
The Director of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law condemns what appear to be targeted attacks by law enforcement on photojournalists and reporters who were covering a federal immigration raid in St. Paul, Minn. on Nov. 25, 2025.
According to the Minnesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, at least three photojournalists were injured by munitions and chemical irritants deployed by St. Paul police. One was transported by ambulance to a hospital and then released. SPJ reports that all “were clearly identified as press with badges and/or vests, in addition to having cameras in hand.”
Although details are still emerging, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has begun a full review of how federal agents conducted themselves, as well as the use of force by St. Paul officers, including “hundreds of hours” of body-worn camera footage, to determine whether officers adhered to St. Paul’s de-escalation and force standards.
“Journalists’ fundamental rights to gather and disseminate news about events that are matters of public concern are clearly protected by the First Amendment, as well as Minnesota law,” Silha Center Director and Professor Jane E. Kirtley said. “The safety of reporters documenting law enforcement operations to enhance public knowledge and oversight should never be compromised by the actions of those whose motto is ‘service with purpose.’ Law enforcement personnel must honor and uphold the lawful exercise of First Amendment rights by everyone, but especially by the journalists who serve as the eyes and ears of the public.”
Elisia Cohen, Director of the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and John and Elizabeth Cowles Chair in Journalism at the University of Minnesota added, “Journalists have a First Amendment right and responsibility to lawfully cover such actions. Coverage of the federal operation in St. Paul is no exception. The HSJMC faculty takes seriously our responsibility to educate the public on the rights and responsibilities protecting press freedoms covered by the First Amendment. It does so through the work of its faculty, the Minnesota Journalism Center and the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law. We have partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists to host a number of programs in recent years training journalists how to ethically and responsibly cover law and immigration enforcement."