A Minneapolis woman was shot and killed Wednesday when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fired a bullet through the windshield of her Honda SUV amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the city.
Video shows ICE agents approaching a vehicle that’s blocking a roadway in a residential neighborhood south of downtown, roughly a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020. A shot fired into the SUV struck its 37-year-old driver in the head, killing her, police said.
The identity of the woman wasn’t immediately released.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed during an afternoon press conference in Texas that the driver tried using her vehicle to run over ICE agents who were stuck in the snow, describring her actions as an “act of domestic terrorism.”
“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” Noem said.
However, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the claims of self-defense a “garbage narrative” after seeing video of the shooting, and expressed outrage over the federal deployment of ICE officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul.
“They are not here to cause safety in this city,” he raged. “They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people.”
Frey demanded that ICE officers “get the f— out of Minneapolis” and insisted his constituents don’t want federal officers on their city streets.
The DHS announced on Tuesday that more than 2,000 agents and officers would begin operations in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Their activities coincide with fraud allegations against many members of Minnesota’s Somali community who stand accused of scamming Housing Stabilization Services (HSS).
Tensions spiked in recent weeks after President Trump referred to Somalis, including Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, as “garbage.”
Minneapolis previously became the epicenter of nationwide protests that erupted after Floyd was murdered while being detained by police who believed he used a counterfeit bill in a grocery store. Former cop Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in connection to Floyd’s death. Three other officers were convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights due to their their conduct during his detainment.
Wednesday’s shooting remains under investigation.
With News Wire Services
