A major immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis United States' Minneapolis city took a violent turn when a federal officer shot and killed a woman during an alleged attempt to run over law enforcement personnel. The incident occurred in a quiet residential neighbourhood located south of downtown, just a few blocks from some of the city’s oldest immigrant markets and less than two kilometres from the site where George Floyd was killed in 2020.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer opened fire on the woman while she was inside her vehicle. Officials said the action took place during the ongoing immigration crackdown ordered under the Trump administration. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul have remained tense ever since DHS announced that nearly 2,000 officers would be deployed as part of a major operation linked partly to alleged fraud involving Somali residents.
Protesters surround the site, anger boils over
Soon after news of the shooting spread, a large crowd of protesters gathered at the scene and expressed their anger at federal agents present at the location. The crowd shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" and "ICE out of Minnesota!" as they blew whistles and confronted officers, including senior Customs and Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino who has previously overseen similar crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Local immigrant rights groups had been preparing for heightened tension. Just a day earlier, the Immigration Defence Network held a training session for around 100 volunteers who planned to monitor federal actions on the streets. "I feel like I'm an ordinary person, and I have the ability to do something so I need to do it," Mary Moran told KMSP-TV.
Mayor calls operation reckless, demands ICE exit
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a strong denunciation of the incident. He accused immigration agents of destabilising the city and rejected the federal claim that the officer acted in self-defence. "We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities," he wrote on social media.
Addressing reporters later, Frey intensified his criticism. "They are not here to cause safety in this city. What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust," he said. "They're ripping families apart. They are sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people."
The mayor also said he had seen video footage of the incident and strongly rejected the official version. "They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defence. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit," he declared. The situation in Minneapolis remains charged as federal officials continue the operation and community members demand accountability for the shooting.
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