A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during an arrest attempt in north Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, marking the second ICE-involved shooting in the city within a week and sparking renewed protests against federal immigration enforcement. The incident occurred in the Hawthorne neighborhood near Lyndale and 24th Avenue North around 7 pm as agents conducted a traffic stop targeting a man they claim is living in the country illegally.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the man drove off after the traffic stop and crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot. When a federal officer attempted to arrest him, DHS claims the suspect resisted and attacked the agent. Two people then exited a nearby home and allegedly attacked the officer with a shovel and broom handle, prompting the ICE agent to open fire, striking the Venezuelan man in the leg.
The suspect subsequently entered the house and refused to come out before agents entered the home and took him into custody. He was transported to the hospital via ambulance and is expected to survive his injuries. The two other individuals who allegedly attacked the officer with improvised weapons were also taken into custody. DHS described the incident as an ambush, stating the agent fired because he was fearing for his life and safety.
The shooting comes exactly one week after ICE officers shot and killed local resident Renee Nicole Good in her car during an immigration raid in Minneapolis. That incident has kept the city on edge, with protesters taking to the streets and multiple clashes erupting between federal agents and local residents. After Wednesday's shooting, demonstrators gathered at the scene to protest ICE's actions, and immigration agents deployed irritants and flashbangs to disperse the crowds.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the ongoing situation not sustainable and expressed concerns about the presence of roughly 3,000 ICE agents in the city and across the state. He stated at a news conference that this concentration of federal immigration enforcement was creating chaos in the community and straining local resources and relationships between law enforcement and residents.
President Donald Trump responded to the events by threatening to institute the Insurrection Act if Minnesota politicians do not stop what he called professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking ICE personnel. The threat escalated tensions further as both federal and local officials navigate the increasingly volatile situation surrounding immigration enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the latest shooting incident. Community leaders have called for calm while demanding accountability and transparency from federal authorities regarding their enforcement tactics. The situation highlights the growing national debate over immigration enforcement methods and the relationship between federal agents and local communities across the United States.