According to POLICE1, the woman was shot inside her vehicle in a residential neighbourhood as ICE officers carried out what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as “targeted operations” connected to an ongoing immigration crackdown in the twin cities.
A federal immigration agent shot and killed a motorist in Minneapolis, United States, on Wednesday after she allegedly attempted to drive her vehicle into law enforcement officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, authorities have confirmed.
According to POLICE1, the woman was shot inside her vehicle in a residential neighbourhood as ICE officers carried out what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as “targeted operations” connected to an ongoing immigration crackdown in the twin cities.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin claimed the shooting occurred after protesters confronted officers at the scene.
“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism,” McLaughlin said in a statement shared on social media.
The fatal shooting represents a sharp escalation in immigration enforcement actions unfolding across major U.S. cities under the Trump administration, with Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul emerging as flashpoints.
On Tuesday, DHS announced it had deployed about 2,000 federal agents and officers to the Twin Cities as part of a sweeping crackdown partly tied to allegations of fraud involving members of the Somali community. The announcement immediately heightened tensions in a region already wary of aggressive federal immigration operations.
Following Wednesday’s shooting, a large crowd of protesters converged on the scene, angrily confronting both federal and local officers.
Demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” while blowing whistles, tactics that have become common during similar crackdowns in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.
Among the officers present was Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has played prominent roles in recent immigration enforcement actions nationwide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly condemned the federal presence, accusing immigration agents of destabilizing the city.
“Immigration agents are causing chaos in our city,” Frey said in a statement posted on social media. “We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.”
As of Wednesday evening, authorities had not released the name of the woman who was killed, and it remains unclear whether body camera footage or additional evidence will be made public. Civil rights advocates and community leaders are already calling for an independent investigation into the shooting and the broader ICE operation in Minnesota.
The incident is expected to further inflame national debates over immigration enforcement, use of force by federal agents, and the role of ICE in American cities.