An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist on Wednesday during the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials claimed was an act of self-defense but that the city’s mayor described as “reckless” and unnecessary.
Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop. Witnesses screamed obscenities, expressing shock at what they’d seen.
The shooting marks a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major American cities under the Trump administration. The killing of the Minneapolis motorist, whose name wasn’t immediately released, was at least the fifth death linked to immigration crackdowns since 2024.
Here’s what we know:
What Homeland Security said: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, during a visit to Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”What the mayor said: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted Noem’s characterization as “garbage” and sharply criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown. “What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the federal agents to leave.What the police chief said: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters but gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone. He said she was shot in the head. “This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. … At some point, a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot, and the vehicle began to drive off,” the chief said.Updates take time: Compiling accurate and thorough information on breaking news takes time. Reporters are working to piece together the details from eyewitness accounts, authorities and other sources.