ICE agent shoots dead woman in Minneapolis during U.S. immigration crackdown; mayor calls it ‘reckless’

A federal agent shot and killed a Minneapolis motorist when she allegedly tried to run over law enforcement officers during an immigration crackdown in the city, authorities said Wednesday (January 7, 2026).

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot the woman in her vehicle in a residential neighbourhood in Minneapolis, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Video posted online showed the vehicle crashed in a residential neighbourhood. The shooting drew throngs of angry protesters to the scene.

A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

“Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota!” they loudly chanted from behind the police tape.

“We are demanding ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities,” Frey said on social media.

The area where the shooting occurred is a modest neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets in the area and a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

‘Reckless, not self defence’: Minneapolis mayor

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Wednesday (January 7) that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed a motorist acted recklessly and rejected federal officials claims that the officer had acted in self-defence.

During a news conference hours after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot the woman, whose name hasn’t been released, an angry Mr. Frey blasted the federal immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.

“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,” Mr. Frey said.

“They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people.” “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,” the mayor said.