ICE Officer Shoots Venezuelan Man During Minneapolis Enforcement Operation
A US federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg on Wednesday night. The shooting occurred during a targeted enforcement operation in north Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security described the man as an illegal alien.
The man received hospital treatment and is expected to recover. The ICE officer also went to the hospital after being assaulted during the arrest attempt. Authorities have not confirmed the nature of the officer's injuries.
Details of the Shooting Incident
The shooting happened around 7 pm local time near North Sixth Street and North 24th Avenue. It began as a traffic stop. DHS officials said the Venezuelan national initially fled in a vehicle.
He crashed into a parked car and then ran on foot. When the officer tried to arrest him, the man resisted and assaulted the officer. Two other individuals then emerged from a nearby apartment.
These individuals attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. The officer reportedly feared for his life. He fired a defensive shot that hit the man in the leg.
All four individuals later barricaded themselves inside a residence. A specialized ICE tactical team breached the residence and took them into custody.
City Officials Respond to the Shooting
Minneapolis city officials urged residents to remain calm after the shooting. This incident comes just one week after ICE agents killed an American woman in the same city.
Officials wrote on X that they understand there is anger. The City of Minneapolis again demanded that ICE leave the city and the state immediately.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the incident in a post on X. They said an illegal alien from Venezuela was targeted for a traffic stop and resisted arrest.
DHS stated that while the subject and law enforcement were struggling on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment. These individuals attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.
The officer then fired a defensive shot to defend his life. This shot hit the initial subject in the leg.
Previous ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
The shooting incident follows another fatal shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis last week. ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old American woman Renee Nicole Good in south Minneapolis.
That shooting sparked nationwide outrage. Good was seated in her SUV when she was shot on January 7. Federal officials claimed the agent acted in self-defense.
They alleged that Good tried to run him over. However, eyewitnesses, journalists, local officials, and video footage contradicted that account.
Evidence suggested Good was attempting to drive away from the officer when she was killed. The shooting prompted widespread protests and criticism of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement strategy.
Political Reactions and Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned ICE operations in a primetime address. He described door-to-door raids by armed, masked, undertrained agents as chaotic and traumatizing for communities of color.
Walz urged residents to record federal officers' actions to preserve evidence for future prosecution. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara held a late-night briefing urging calm.
This occurred as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with law enforcement. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche blamed state and city leaders for inciting violence.
He called the unrest a Minnesota insurrection. Blanche accused Walz and Frey of encouraging attacks on law enforcement.
According to CBS News, the shooting was reportedly part of Operation Metro Surge. Federal officials describe this as the largest DHS deployment in history.
Roughly 3,000 immigration officers are operating or en route to Minnesota under this operation.
