A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot a Venezuelan migrant in Minneapolis on Wednesday night, further escalating tensions in a city already shaken by the fatal shooting of activist and mother-of-three Renee Good just one week earlier.
The incident occurred during what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as a “targeted” immigration enforcement operation in north Minneapolis. According to DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, ICE agents attempted to arrest a Venezuelan man suspected of living in the United States without legal authorization.
McLaughlin said the situation quickly turned violent after the man fled in his vehicle when agents attempted a traffic stop at around 6:50 pm local time. Officers pursued the car until it crashed outside the man’s home, where events reportedly escalated further.
According to DHS, when an officer caught up with the suspect on foot and tried to make the arrest, the man resisted and physically assaulted the agent. Officials claim that two additional individuals, believed to be family members, joined the confrontation and attacked the officer using a snow shovel and a broom handle.
“As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by three individuals, he feared for his life and fired defensive shots,” McLaughlin said in a statement posted on X. She confirmed that three shots were fired and that the migrant was hit in the leg. Both the injured officer and the migrant were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Local media reports and eyewitness accounts, however, describe a chaotic and heavily militarised scene. Witnesses said police and ICE agents surrounded the property, broke down doors, and fired shots into the house. Sam Warburton, a resident who spoke to the Star Tribune, said officers in tactical gear fired through a second-floor window after issuing loudspeaker warnings.
Flash-bang devices were also reportedly deployed inside the home during the operation, adding to fears among neighbours and onlookers.
Following the shooting, at least 200 protesters gathered near the scene, confronting ICE agents and law enforcement officers. Authorities responded by deploying tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, according to local reports. Images from the scene showed officers in riot gear and agents using chemical spray against protesters.
Public anger has been steadily rising in Minneapolis over the past several weeks, especially after the Trump administration deployed around 3,000 ICE agents to the area as part of a nationwide crackdown on undocumented migration. Community members and volunteer groups have been monitoring ICE operations, filming arrests, and accusing agents of exceeding their legal authority and using excessive force.
The latest shooting comes just one week after the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and volunteer observer, who was shot and killed by a federal agent during an ICE operation in the same city. Authorities claimed the agent acted in self-defence, alleging Good was blocking the street with her vehicle.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly rejected that explanation after reviewing video footage of the incident. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly — that is nonsense,” Frey said. He accused ICE of spreading fear rather than ensuring safety and publicly demanded that the agency leave the city.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also condemned ICE’s actions, urging residents to continue documenting enforcement operations. “This stopped being about immigration enforcement a long time ago,” Walz said. “What we are seeing is a campaign of organised brutality by our own federal government.”
Videos shared online in recent days appear to show ICE agents detaining individuals who were later identified as US citizens. One widely circulated clip shows a woman being forcibly removed from her car after refusing to move, despite telling agents she was disabled and heading to a medical appointment.
ICE officials say around 60 people have been charged in Minnesota over the past five days for allegedly assaulting or obstructing immigration officers. Civil rights groups argue that the growing number of confrontations reflects deep mistrust between federal authorities and local communities.
As investigations continue into both shootings, Minneapolis remains on edge, with community leaders warning that aggressive immigration enforcement is fuelling fear, division, and instability rather than public safety.