A woman was shot and killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident occurred while she was driving her car, after allegedly attempting to run over security personnel during a large-scale operation targeting immigrants in the city.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, issued an official statement stating that “a security officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot the woman inside her vehicle, in a residential neighborhood in Minneapolis.”
This incident represents a notable escalation in the series of recent security operations aimed at enforcing immigration laws, which have affected a number of major U.S. cities under President Donald Trump. The woman is considered at least the fifth victim to lose her life since 2024.
The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been experiencing tension since the Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday the start of the operation, which is expected to involve two thousand security personnel. The campaign is partly linked to allegations of fraud involving Somali citizens.
Following the shooting, crowds of protesters gathered at the scene, directing scathing criticism at local and federal security personnel present, including Gregory Bovino, a senior official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who has been the face of security campaigns in Los Angeles, Chicago, and other areas.
Protesters, from behind the security barrier surrounding the scene, raised slogans such as: “Shame, shame, shame” and “ICE out of Minnesota,” in a scene reminiscent of the protests that took place in Los Angeles and Chicago in the past.
Following the incident, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that immigration officers are “causing chaos in our city.” He added via social media: “We demand that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand firmly with our immigrant and refugee communities.”
It is worth noting that the area where the shooting took place is located in a modest neighborhood in south-central Minneapolis, a few blocks from the oldest immigrant markets in the area, and about 1.5 kilometers from the site where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020, an incident that led to widespread protests.
