A shooting involving a U.S. federal immigration agent in Minneapolis has ignited fresh tensions amid a large-scale enforcement operation ordered by the Trump administration. The incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at the intersection of Portland Avenue and East 34th Street.
Mayor and Governor Condemn Federal Presence
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey quickly took to social media platform X to confirm the shooting and launch a sharp critique of the federal operation. "The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city," Frey stated. He explicitly demanded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents "leave the city immediately" and affirmed his administration's solidarity with immigrant and refugee communities.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also acknowledged the event, noting his public safety team was gathering information and urging calm. The shooting represents a violent escalation in a political standoff that has seen Republican President Donald Trump deploy federal agents to several Democratic-led cities, including Minneapolis, during his first year back in office.
Scene of Chaos and Heightened Tensions
The scene following the shooting was one of stark violence. A dark-coloured SUV, its windshield pierced by a bullet hole and its headrest stained with blood, was crashed into a pole on the snowy street. U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino was present at the location.
Venus de Mars, a 65-year-old resident living nearby, described witnessing paramedics performing CPR on a woman who had collapsed beside a snowbank near the damaged vehicle. The woman was later loaded into an ambulance that departed without activating its sirens. "There's been lots of ICE activity but nothing like this," de Mars said, expressing feelings of anger and helplessness.
Background of a Contentious Crackdown
The federal operation in Minneapolis was launched in recent weeks following allegations of fraud within the local Somali immigrant community, a group President Trump has disparaged in the past. The administration's aggressive enforcement tactics in so-called sanctuary cities have provoked significant backlash from local leaders and residents who argue they instill fear and disrupt community safety.
This shooting is the latest and most serious incident in that ongoing conflict, raising urgent questions about the conduct and scope of federal immigration enforcement in American cities. Local officials are now demanding answers and an immediate end to the surge operation as the investigation into the morning's violence continues.
