A 37-year-old woman was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation, with officials claiming she attempted to run over federal officers
A 37-year-old woman has been fatally shot by an ICE officer during an immigration raid, prompting the city’s mayor to demand the agency’s “immediately” departure.
The woman was gunned down by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in a residential area of Minneapolis, Minnesota, after allegedly “attempting to run over” federal agents, according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. The official claimed the agent discharged “defensive shots” and branded the woman as part of a group of “rioters”.
The fatal incident occurred on Portland Avenue and East 34th Street on Wednesday morning local time. Angry demonstrators flocked to the shooting location, voicing fury at local and federal authorities, including Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol official notorious for spearheading operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and other major cities. The crowd erupted with chants of: “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!”.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declared that ICE’s activities were “causing chaos” throughout the city following the deadly shooting. “We’re demanding ICE to leave the city immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,” he posted on social media, reports the Mirror.
During a press briefing later on Wednesday, Frey confirmed the deceased woman was 37 years old. “We collectively are going to do everything possible to get to the bottom of this, to get justice and to make sure that there is an investigation conducted in full,” he said.
“They are not here to create safety in this city, what they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They are ripping families apart, sowing chaos in our streets, and in this case are literally killing people.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem branded the incident an “act of domestic terrorism”. “What had happened was our ICE officers were out in enforcement action, they got stuck in the snow because of the adverse weather that is in Minneapolis,” she said during a press briefing in Texas.
“They were attempting to push out their vehicle, and a woman attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
However, Frey challenged the official version put forward by DHS, which portrayed ICE officers as “fearing for their life” before opening fire into the victim’s car.
“They are already trying to spin this as an act of self-defence. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly – that is bullshit,” he said. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody getting killed. Your only reason for being in our city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing the opposite.”
Since 2024, at least five people have lost their lives across several states during immigration enforcement operations. Tensions have escalated in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul following DHS’s announcement on Tuesday of a crackdown amid allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
The shooting occurred just a few blocks from some of the area’s most established immigrant markets and a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020, according to AP.
Rev. Hierald Osorto, pastor at St. Paul’s-San Pablo Lutheran Church, which serves a predominantly Latino congregation, said: “We’ve been trying to live life as fully as possible in light of the fear and anxiety that we feel.”
The Immigration Defence Network, a coalition of organisations supporting immigrants in Minnesota, conducted a training session on Tuesday evening for approximately 100 people prepared to observe federal enforcement activities on the streets.
“I feel like I’m an ordinary person, and I have the ability do something so I need to do it,” Mary Moran told KMSP-TV.
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