(Minneapolis) A United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed a motorist in Minneapolis on Wednesday during the latest crackdown by the Trump administration against immigrants in a major American city. Federal authorities called it an act of self-defense, but the city’s mayor deemed the agent’s actions “reckless” and unnecessary.
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The event took place in a residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just 1 mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.
During a visit to Texas, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the event an “act of domestic terrorism” committed against ICE agents by a woman who “tried to run them over and hit them with her vehicle.” “One of our officers reacted quickly and defensively, shooting to protect himself and those around him,” she said.
PHOTO TIM EVANS, REUTERS
Immigration police gathered at the scene.
But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey sharply criticized that characterization and the deployment of more than 2,000 agents in the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
“They are not here to provide security in this city. What they are doing is not keeping the United States safe. What they are doing is sowing chaos and distrust,” Mr. Frey said, calling on federal agents to leave the city.
PHOTO TIM EVANS, REUTERS
Jacob Frey
They tear families apart. They are wreaking havoc on our streets and, in this case, they are literally killing people. They are already trying to present this as an act of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everyone that these are lies.
Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis,
Videos taken by passers-by from different angles and posted on social media show an officer approaching a sport utility vehicle (SUV) stopped in the middle of the road, demanding that the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV then begins to drive forward and another ICE agent standing in front of the vehicle draws his gun and immediately fires at least two shots at point-blank range at the SUV, before backing away as the vehicle moves toward him.
It is not clear from the videos whether the vehicle struck the officer. The SUV then crashed into two cars parked on the sidewalk nearby before coming to a stop. Witnesses shouted insults, expressing shock at what they had just seen.
Escalation of tensions
The shooting marks a dramatic escalation in the latest round of immigration enforcement operations in major U.S. cities under the Trump administration. This is at least the fifth person killed in connection with these operations.
The Twin Cities have been on alert since the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it had launched an operation in which more than 2,000 agents and officers are expected to participate as part of a crackdown linked in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
A large crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they expressed anger at local and federal agents present, including Gregory Bovino, a top Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.
PHOTO TOM BAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrators gathered near the scene of the event.
In a scene reminiscent of crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago, bystanders booed the officers and blew the whistles that became ubiquitous during those operations.
” Shame ! Shame ! Shame ! and “ICE out of Minnesota!” “, they chanted loudly behind the police tape.
During his visit to Texas, Mr.me Noem confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 agents to the Twin Cities and has already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.
Walz appeals for calm
Hours after the shooting, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He said he was outraged by the event, which he called “predictable” and “avoidable,” but he urged protesters to remain peaceful.
PHOTO KEREM YÜCEL, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
“They want a show. We cannot satisfy them. If you protest and exercise your First Amendment rights, please do so peacefully, as you always do,” he said at a press conference.
Read Richard Hêtu’s decryption: “Tim Walz: Anatomy of a political fall”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara briefly described the event to reporters, but, unlike federal authorities, gave no indication that the driver intended to harm anyone. He said she had been shot in the head.
“This woman was in her vehicle blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. At one point, a federal agent approached her on foot and the vehicle drove off. At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed onto the side of the road,” he said.
There have been calls on social media for the officer who shot the driver to be prosecuted. Daniel Borgertpoepping, spokesman for the Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office, said that decision would not be made until the investigation is complete.
“We have the jurisdiction to prosecute, as do the federal authorities. It’s a bit complicated, but at the end of the day, yes, we have the jurisdiction to initiate criminal proceedings,” he said.
For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and activists in the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of a wave of immigration enforcement. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have established busy online networks, scanned license plates for potential federal vehicles, and purchased whistles and other sound devices to alert neighborhoods of any law enforcement presence.
On Tuesday evening, the Immigration Defense Network, a coalition of groups serving Minnesota immigrants, held a training session for about 100 people willing to take to the streets to monitor the federal operation.
