ICE Officer Fatally Shoots Woman During Immigration Enforcement Encounter in Minneapolis

An ICE officer fatally shot a woman driving an SUV through her car window in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.

The deadly confrontation immediately ratcheted up the intensity of what was already a brutal crackdown on Minnesota and its immigrants by the Trump administration, and in a community with raw memories of the police murder of George Floyd.

The crashed SUV after an ICE agent shot the driver at point-blank range through the window. The driver died, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Video of the incident shared with the Reformer shows masked ICE officers approach a Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of Portland Avenue near 34th Street. One officer tells the driver to “get out of the f*cking car” and tries to open the door. The driver then slowly backs up and then pulls forward, appearing to try to leave. An officer at the front of the vehicle fires three shots, and the SUV travels a short distance before crashing into a parked car.

The woman was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, the Minneapolis chief of police said. The identity of the woman has not yet been released, only that she was 37 years old, according to the Minneapolis mayor.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security, writing on X, gave a different version of what happened: “One of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism. An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement, and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.”

MAGA supporters showed video from different angles that purported to show the officer acting in self-defense, while former senior Obama administration official Tommy Vietor reshared the Reformer video on X and called the incident “an execution by this ICE officer.” Americans can expect a debate over the shooting for years to come, regardless of the outcome of any investigations.

The witness who took the video, Caitlin Callenson, said she was on a walk when she saw an ICE vehicle stuck in the snow. As more ICE vehicles arrived, bystanders blew whistles in protest, and the driver of the SUV tried to block the ICE vehicles.

Callenson said she did not see ICE agents attempting to detain anyone leading up to or after the shooting.

After the shots were fired, the driver was “then was completely slumped over in the vehicle,” said Emily Heller, another witness.

Federal agents wouldn’t allow a man who said he is a physician to examine the driver, Heller said. Emergency medical technicians arrived 15 minutes later, she said. First responders were unable to get close to the scene because ICE agents did not move their cars to let them through.

Law enforcement sprays demonstrators with chemical irritants at the scene where an ICE office shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in her car in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

“There was chaos, and ambulance and fire trucks couldn’t get through,” Callenson said. “They had to walk through all of the ICE vehicles on foot to try to administer first aid.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had been dreading this moment since the Department of Homeland Security began ramping up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities in recent weeks, sending thousands of officers to the state in what the Department of Homeland Security is calling its “largest operation ever.”

Frey called ICE’s statement saying the shooting was in self-defense was “bullsh*t” and blasted the agency’s presence in the city, saying they’re only “causing chaos and distrust.”

“To ICE, get the f*ck out of Minneapolis,” Frey said.

He urged residents to remain peaceful and not “take the bait” from the federal government.

“They want us to respond in a way that creates a military occupation in our city,” Frey said. “Let’s not let them.”

Dozens of federal agents from ICE and the FBI, as well as Minneapolis police officers and Hennepin County sheriff deputies, responded to the scene.

While ICE agents left the scene, the standoff between law enforcement and protesters is ongoing.

As some federal officers attempted to leave, protestors blocked their vehicles. The officers fired a noxious gas at close range, causing distress and vomiting for many demonstrators and journalists

Protesters hurled insults at Minneapolis Police officers, who are not supposed to assist with immigration enforcement, but were on the scene Wednesday morning.

After law enforcement cleared the scene, demonstrators placed white roses where blood stained the snow.

People lay white roses where a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026. (Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer)

City Council members, including Robin Wonsley and Jamal Osman, addressed the crowd, saying the area was an active crime scene and that MPD was present to investigate.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a Wednesday press conference that they have yet to see information indicating that the shooting was justified, and there was nothing to indicate the woman was a target of immigration enforcement activity, O’Hara said.

Minneapolis police officers secured the crime scene to preserve evidence, O’Hara said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now jointly conducting an investigation into the use of deadly force with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt emphasized the need for local involvement in the investigation for transparency: “With all due respect to the federal level, we do need to make sure that our local agencies are involved.”

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty issued a statement soon after the shooting, saying “pushing hard for a local investigation, which is the only way to ensure full transparency and review by our office.”

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, a St. Paul Democrat, called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who filmed herself observing ICE actions in Minneapolis on Tuesday, to immediately stop the ICE operation “to restore order and prevent further injuries.”

by Max Nesterak, Madison McVan, and Alyssa Chen, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.