Leaked internal documents reveal growing fear and turmoil among ICE agents deployed to Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Good last week, with some agents privately blaming leadership at the Department of Homeland Security for escalating tensions.

Journalist Ken Klippenstein published internal DHS communications Monday showing warnings circulated to federal agents urging them to be cautious about operational security as they enter and exit the hotels where they are staying. The documents advise agents to limit social media activity, turn off phone location services, and keep personal accounts set to private.

The guidance reflects what sources describe as widespread anxiety among federal personnel after days of protests sparked by Good’s killing. According to the leaked documents, DHS has struggled to staff the Minneapolis deployment, prompting officials to solicit “volunteers” rather than issuing direct orders.

One internal request sought 200 additional Border Patrol agents and 100 processing coordinators for the week of January 11. An ICE agent, speaking anonymously, said many colleagues are reluctant to deploy to the Twin Cities amid public backlash and mounting hostility.

“We do have personnel,” the agent said, “but some just don’t want to go.”

Concerns are not limited to rank-and-file officers. A senior career official at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington expressed alarm over the direction of the operation, warning that aggressive tactics and rhetoric may be placing agents in greater danger.

“There might be some immature knuckleheads who think they are out there trying to capture Nicolás Maduro,” the official said. “But most field officers see a clear need for de-escalation.”

The official added that ICE’s heavy-handed posture, combined with inflammatory language from Washington, risks creating volatile conditions on the ground. “There is genuine fear that the rhetoric is making officers less safe, not more,” they said.

Several agents reportedly traced the surge in tension directly to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who publicly described Good’s actions as “domestic terrorism” within hours of her death.

An unnamed Border Patrol agent disputed that account bluntly. “There is a video,” the agent said. “And she just lied.”

The internal unease underscores a widening gap between political leadership and federal officers tasked with enforcing immigration policy in a city already on edge. As protests continue and deployments expand, the documents suggest that fear, frustration, and distrust are spreading inside the agency itself.