Minneapolis, MN – A woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis during a large-scale federal immigration enforcement operation, prompting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to describe the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism.”
According to DHS statements, ICE agents were conducting targeted operations when protesters began blocking their movements. One individual, identified as a 37-year-old woman, allegedly “weaponized her vehicle” in an attempt to run over officers, leading an agent to fire defensive shots in self-defense. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem elaborated that agents’ vehicle became stuck in snow during adverse weather, and as they attempted to free it, the woman “attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin stated: “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.” She noted injured officers are expected to recover fully and linked the incident to broader increases in assaults on federal agents.
The shooting occurred near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue in a residential neighborhood, amid a DHS deployment of over 2,000 agents to the Twin Cities for what the agency calls its “largest immigration operation ever,” focusing partly on fraud allegations involving Somali communities.
However, local officials strongly disputed the federal narrative. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called DHS claims “bullshit” and described the shooting as “reckless,” asserting videos show the officer firing as the vehicle was driving away, not toward agents. Governor Tim Walz echoed this, urging the public not to believe the “propaganda machine.” Witnesses and social media videos appear to show agents approaching the SUV, ordering the driver out, and firing multiple shots as the vehicle maneuvered slowly before crashing.
Protests quickly formed at the scene, with crowds chanting against ICE and clashes involving chemical irritants deployed by agents. City leaders, including Frey, demanded federal agents leave Minneapolis immediately, accusing them of sowing chaos and terrorizing communities.
The incident marks heightened tensions in the area, occurring about a mile from where George Floyd was killed in 2020. The FBI is reviewing the shooting, and investigations are ongoing.
(Developing story; details subject to change as more information emerges. Sources include statements from DHS, local officials, and verified video footage.)
