Federal agent fatally shoots motorist during immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, officials say
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal immigration officer shot and killed a driver Wednesday, Jan. 7, after authorities said the motorist tried to run over law enforcement officers amid a major immigration enforcement surge in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.
The shooting happened in a residential neighborhood near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, where city officials urged the public to avoid the area as federal and local officers secured the scene. Video posted online showed a vehicle crashed in the neighborhood, and the incident drew a large crowd of angry protesters who chanted and taunted federal agents from behind police tape.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the woman was shot inside her vehicle during the incident. Authorities did not immediately release additional details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
The confrontation unfolded as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement in Minnesota. DHS said Tuesday it launched what it described as its largest immigration enforcement operation to date, with about 2,000 federal agents and officers expected in the Minneapolis area, tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the federal operation after the shooting, saying immigration agents were “causing chaos” and calling for ICE to leave the city and state.Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also criticized the surge, saying it was not coordinated with state officials and was being conducted “for a show of cameras,” according to AP reporting.
Officials said a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol figure, Gregory Bovino, was among the federal personnel at the scene; he has been associated with prior crackdowns in other U.S. cities.
What’s next: Authorities have not yet released a full account of the incident or identified the woman who was killed. The enforcement surge—and community response to it—appeared set to continue in the Twin Cities region.
