A 37-year-old female, whom city leaders say was a legal observer, was fatally shot on Jan. 7 inside her vehicle by a federal agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a quiet neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The woman was blocking traffic with her driver-side window down on Portland Ave near East 33rd, when three ICE agents approached her vehicle. She began to drive off and ICE agents, one of whom was in front of the vehicle, fired shots, with at least one bullet striking her in the head. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. The shooting occurred during a surge of immigration enforcement in the city especially targeting the large Somali-American community. The shooting will be investigated by the FBI and Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey spoke at a news conference and accused federal authorities of attempting “to spin this as an action of self-defense” by the ICE officer. The mayor said, “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed. There’s little I can say that will make this situation better, but I do have a message for our community and our city and for ICE. To ICE: Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.” Congresswoman Ilhan Omar posted on X, “ICE must stop terrorizing our communities and leave our city.”
Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the shooting took place after “rioters” obstructed ICE officers. McLaughlin accused the woman of attempting to run over the ICE agents, which she called an “act of domestic terrorism.”
