On January 15th, 2026, protesters in Minneapolis were showing their frustration with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, agents being involved in two shootings within a span of a few days, and new allegations of a welfare fraud scandal (CNN). While protesting outside the Whipple Federal Building, ICE agents fired tear gas at the protestors after they began attacking vehicles leaving the parking lot. Unfortunately, with this attack being outside a federal building and the violence being provoked by political actions, it can only remind Americans of January 6th, 2021.
On January 6th, 2021, approximately 2,500 Donald Trump supporters attacked the United States Capitol in anger, attempting to “Stop the Steal” during a joint session of Congress to certify the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 presidential election with 306 electoral votes, while Donald Trump and Mike Pence followed behind with 232 votes. Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, there were several ballots sent in by mail, and the vote counting for several swing states was delayed; consequently, Donald Trump, Republicans, and Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters claimed that the votes were “stolen.” These claims led to the trending “Stop the Steal” movement.
Trump took his feelings to social media, which would later prompt many MAGA supporters to interpret his words as a prompt to travel to Washington, D.C. with the intention of “attacking” the Capitol. In the days approaching the Congress meeting, more MAGA supporters went to social media to share their opinions on the situation, and many presented the intention of violent behavior, loading firearms, agreeing to violence, promoting the “attack,” and more. According to NPR, several supporters who promoted violence at the Capitol were “Proud Boys, a right-wing street gang with a history of violence.”
Early in the day on January 6th, Trump would present a speech at his “Save America” rally taking place at the Ellipse, roughly two miles from the White House, where he would promote protesting at the Capitol to stop the certification of the electoral votes. At approximately 10:28 A.M., protestors and several Proud Boys would begin marching to the Capitol, where Daniel Scott, a Proud Boy known by the nickname “Milkshake,” yelled: “Let’s take the [expletive] Capitol!”
Around 12:42 P.M., U.S. Capitol Police would discover a pipe bomb at the Republican National Committee building. This called for several officers to report to the scene to help evacuate and remain in control of the situation.
Eleven minutes later, insurrectionists would begin attacking officers with the intent of getting closer to the Capitol. They would move towards the West front of the building, the presidential inauguration location.
According to NPR, at 1:03 P.M., a red pickup truck containing “an assault rifle, a handgun, ammunition and 11 Molotov cocktails” neared the Republican National Committee building. This truck would later be confirmed to be owned by a Trump Supporter. Two minutes later, at 1:05 P.M, a second pipe bomb would be discovered; however, it was located near the Democratic National Committee building.
Trump would conclude his speech at approximately 1:10 P.M. with, “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” This would ultimately convince the crowd to march down towards the Capitol, hoping to stop the voting or “fight” (NPR).
At 2:13 P.M., a number of rioters were able to fight through police lines and break a door on the northwest side of the Capitol. At this point, members of Congress on both the Senate and House floors were still extremely unaware of the extent to which things had escalated. About 11 minutes later, Trump would post on the social media platform X, stating, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!” A minute after this was posted, Mike Pence and his family were removed from the Senate floor, where rioters would only be about 40 feet away.
By then, rioters had also broken doors on the east side of the Capitol, which would be used by “the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, who entered the building in a military-style ‘stack’ formation.” At 2:35 P.M., rioters were able to break the windows from one of the House floor doors. Officers would stand on the House floor with weapons drawn at the rioter to protect all of the members on the House floor.
Roughly 4 minutes later, Peter Welch, Vermont Congressman, posted on X, a social media platform, voicing how every member on the House floor was advised to wear glass masks that were hidden under the seats while making what they believed was their final phone call to their families. In about 3 minutes, rioters would fully take over the Senate floor.
Back at the House floor, rioters would find another side entrance; however, they were stopped by a set of doors. Zachary Alam, a rioter, would break one of the windows, prompting Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old rioter, to climb through, where she would be fatally shot in the shoulder by U.S. Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd.
As time progressed, rioters would cause chaos inside the Capitol by breaking several more doors, windows, the artwork/statues, and several of the congress members’ offices. More would break into the Capitol through different doors or windows. Eventually, large crowds began turning their attention to the inauguration tunnel, the lower west terrace.
Officers would hold the inside of the tunnel fighting for hours, where several officers would be extremely injured by being crushed, hit, sprayed with bear mace, and much more. At one point, Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone was dragged into the crowd, and he would share his story with the Wisconsin Examiner. “Fanone told the committee that some in the crowd were “trying to grab hold of my gun.” He heard some shout “kill him with his own gun,” he testified. “I believe there were individuals in that crowd who intended to kill me”…beat him with pipes, stunned him with a Taser, and sprayed him with bear spray, he recalled. In the midst of the assault, he had a heart attack, and he got a concussion from the blows to his head.” In addition, in the days following the attack, his body camera footage was released to the public, where the world would see and hear the horrific footage. In early 2025, he attempted to obtain a restraining order against the rioters who attacked him; however, there are no confirmed reports of the result.
At approximately 4:17 P.M., Trump would release a video describing how he understood their emotions, reiterating the fraudulent election, supporting their actions, and advising they leave the Capitol. Roughly 33 minutes later, officers from several different districts would arrive as support. At 5:40 P.M., the National Guard would be deployed to the Capitol as an additional form of support four hours after the initial call for support. Later at 6:01 P.M., Trump would post on his social media platform X: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”
Roughly two hours later, Mike Pence would bring the Senate floor back to order. At 9:02 P.M., Nancy Pelosi would do the same on the House floor. Congress would certify the 2020 election results at 3:44 A.M.
In the following weeks, over 1,500 rioters would be arrested for their crimes; however, when Trump won the 2024 presidential elections, he pardoned almost every single rioter from their crimes. This pardon would also include defendants who had prior criminal records of sexual assault, manslaughter, and rape.
This attack would claim seven lives: Kevin Greeson and Benjamin Philips both died to medical emergencies while protesting outside the Capitol, Ashli Babbitt would die as a result of a fatal gunshot wound from an officer after attempting to climb through a broken window to reach Congress members, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick would die on January 7th after suffering 2 strokes that were likely a direct result of the riot, Metropolitan Police officer, Jeffrey L. Smith, and United States Capitol Police, Howard Charles Liebengood, both would commit suicide in the days following the riot (NPR).
The U.S., the Government Accountability Office released a 122-page document addressing the attack on the Capitol, where it is clearly stated, “These events led to at least seven deaths and caused about $2.7 billion in estimated costs.”
To this day, officers continue to struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, following all of the traumatic events that occurred on January 6th and the days after. The plaque memorial made for those who lost their lives was put away in storage for years, and only recently has the Senate approved to install the original plaque in a public place within the building. In addition, this event is not often covered in school, almost erasing its existence completely. However, good or bad, kind or horrific; Amrican history is American history. It must be remembered and never forgotten, as these events are guides as to how to act in the future.
Events with ICE have caused great contention, both from the federal side and from the people. January 6th and ICE events were both triggered by differing political ideas between Democrats, Republicans, and MAGA. While some may believe actions, such as threatening a political belief or being outwardly violent, warrant violent responses. At the end of the day, exacerbating the issues causes national tragedies, as seen with January 6th and ICE events. ICE in Minnesota caused a pushback from its people, which led to stronger action from ICE, ultimately leading to the tragedy.
In the case of January 6th, there were no preceding violent actions taken to warrant rioting or the deaths of seven individuals. Right or wrong, people have lost their lives and are continuing to lose their lives. Many Americans believe political differences should not equal national tragedies, and actions should be taken to lower tensions rather than worsen them. Remembering the events of January 6th is a step Americans can take to gain perspective in order to prevent violent reactions in the future.
