Protests have broken out in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by a federal immigration agent, an incident that has ignited a fierce political confrontation between local leaders and the Trump administration.
Deadly Encounter During Deportation Operation
The shooting occurred on the morning of Wednesday, 7 January 2026, in south Minneapolis. Agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were conducting an immigration enforcement operation in the city when they encountered the woman. According to video footage of the incident, the woman was inside her vehicle, which was blocking the agents' path.
A group of agents surrounded the car and ordered her to exit. Instead, the woman began to slowly drive her car away. At that moment, an agent positioned near the front of the vehicle fired multiple shots through the windshield, fatally wounding her.
Clashing Narratives from Officials
The incident has prompted starkly different accounts from federal and local authorities. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the agent's actions, claiming the woman attempted to run over officers and committed an "act of domestic terrorism."
"An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him," Noem stated.
This version of events was vehemently rejected by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. After reviewing the video, Frey held a press conference where he delivered a blistering critique of the federal operation and the shooting.
"Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly – that is bulls***. This was an agent recklessly using power, resulting in somebody dying," Mayor Frey said. He directly ordered ICE agents to "get the f*** out" of the city.
Outrage and Immediate Aftermath
The shooting, which took place just days after the Department of Homeland Security deployed an additional 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis, drew immediate outrage. Dozens of demonstrators swiftly descended on the scene to protest the killing.
The event has escalated tensions in a city already on edge over aggressive federal immigration tactics, placing the local government in direct opposition to the administration's enforcement strategy. The mayor's explicit condemnation and demand for ICE to leave marks a significant escalation in the ongoing national debate over immigration policy and enforcement.
