A Minnesota judge issued a ruling Friday barring federal officers from detaining or deploying tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities while participating in Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

The order from U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez restricting the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal agents comes amid ongoing protests and heightened tension in Minneapolis after an ICE agent fatally shot Minnesota resident Renee Good earlier this month.

The ruling prohibits officers from retaliating against anyone peacefully protesting or observing the actions of immigration officers, adding that federal agents must show probable cause or reasonable suspicion that someone has committed a crime or is interfering with law enforcement operations.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said following the ruling that the First Amendment does not protect "rioting," adding that DHS is "taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters."

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"We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony," McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Rioters and terrorists have assaulted law enforcement, launched fireworks at them, slashed the tires of their vehicles, and vandalized federal property. Others have chosen to ignore commands and have attempted to impede law enforcement operations and used their vehicles as weapons against our officers."

McLaughlin added that "assaulting and obstructing law enforcement is a felony." 

"Despite these grave threats and dangerous situations, our law enforcement has followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property," she stated.

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Under the ruling, federal agents cannot use pepper-spray or other non-lethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against peaceful protesters, the ruling states.

Additionally, Menendez wrote that safely following officers "at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop."

The ruling stems from a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who argued that government officers were violating the constitutional rights of Twin City residents.

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Government attorneys said officers were acting within their legal authority and appropriately to violence as they've enforced immigration laws across the country and in Minnesota.

The ongoing unrest in Minneapolis comes after two recent shootings involving ICE agents in the city.

Good died on Jan. 7 after an ICE agent shot into her vehicle through the driver's side windshield and open window after she allegedly attempted to run him over. He could be heard on video after the fact saying "f---ing b---h" as her car crashed into a parked car.

While Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for the agent's prosecution, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident, arguing it was a justified shooting.

Then, on Wednesday, an ICE officer was seriously injured after being ambushed by three illegal immigrants during a traffic stop targeting a Venezuelan national, according to federal officials. One suspect was shot, and all three were taken into custody after the stop escalated into a foot chase and violent struggle, authorities said.

Menendez is presiding over a separate lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking to suspend the enforcement crackdown.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News Digital's Sophia Compton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) delivered good news for America’s troops Friday, confirming that the one-time $1,776 "Warrior Dividend" paid to service members in December 2025 is completely tax-free, allowing troops to keep every dollar of the bonus.

In a Friday release, the Treasury Department and the IRS said that "supplemental basic allowance for housing payments" made to members of the uniformed services in December 2025 "are not to be included in income by those who received the payments; they are not taxable."

The agency said federal tax law specifically excludes from gross income a "qualified military benefit," adding that basic allowances for housing payments fall under that category and therefore are not subject to federal income taxes.

The confirmation caps off President Donald Trump’s pre-Christmas announcement that nearly 1.5 million U.S. service members would receive a special "Warrior Dividend" in recognition of their service and to commemorate roughly 250 years since the nation’s founding.

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"And the checks are already on the way," Trump said during a Dec. 17, 2025, primetime address from the White House, crediting tariffs and recently passed GOP spending and tax legislation for funding the payments. 

"Nobody deserves it more than our military. And I say congratulations to everybody," he added.

According to the IRS, Congress appropriated $2.9 billion in legislation enacted last July to supplement the basic allowance for housing payable to members of the uniformed services, with the one-time $1,776 payments funded by that appropriation.

The IRS said the supplemental payments were made primarily to active-duty service members in pay grades O-6 and below, along with eligible Reserve Component members as of Nov. 30, 2025, across the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force.

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Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson welcomed the tax treatment in remarks carried by Pentagon News, saying the ruling ensures the money reaches military families directly.

"The tax-free Warrior Dividend places $1,776 directly in the hands of our warfighters and their families," Wilson said. "The department is proud to recognize their sacrifice."

During his December address, Trump also pointed to what he described as a turnaround for the armed forces under his leadership, citing record enlistment and contrasting it with what he called historically poor recruitment numbers under the previous administration.

"What a difference a year makes," Trump said.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the dividend reflects a broader push to improve quality of life for military families.

"This Warrior Dividend serves as yet another example of how the War Department is working to improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families," Hegseth said. "All elements of what we’re doing are to rebuild our military. 

The Department of War and the Internal Revenue Service did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment. 

Fox News Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this reporting.