Ava Corey-Gruenes was pepper-sprayed in the face by a masked ICE agent during a confrontation between federal immigration agents and protesters in Mankato, Minnesota, on January 12, 2026. Video shows the agent exiting a vehicle and ordering the crowd to move before spraying her; she had told the agent "I don't pose a threat" moments before being sprayed. The same agent was accused by another protester of using bear spray. The incident drew public anger, with more than 300 residents packing a Mankato City Council meeting afterward to address the use of chemical irritants during ICE operations.