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The governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, declared a state of emergency this Wednesday and requested the National Guard to be on standby following the death of a woman who was shot by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The events occurred amid a confrontation related to the increasing immigration raids in the state, reported EFE.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that the woman died during an incident that occurred while ICE officials were carrying out an operation in Minneapolis, the largest city in the state.
The DHS Undersecretary, Tricia McLaughlin, stated that the woman was “a violent instigator” who allegedly used her vehicle as “a weapon”, attempting to run over the agents “in an attempt to kill them,” which she described as “an act of domestic terrorism.”
According to their account, an ICE agent who “feared for his life” fired “defensive shots”.
McLaughlin stated that the "alleged perpetrator" died and that the injured officers "will make a full recovery," without disclosing the identity or nationality of the victim.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, publicly supported that characterization and also accused the woman of committing “an act of domestic terrorism," asserting that the authorities acted in “self-defense.”
Noem stated at a press conference in Brownsville (Texas) that the incident reflected the aggressions that, according to her, ICE agents face "daily."
The incident occurred during a context of a "massive operation" by ICE in Minnesota.
The DHS reported the cumulative detention of more than 1,000 migrants in the state, including some from Ecuador, Mexico, and El Salvador, and noted that on Monday alone, there were over 150 arrests, described as the largest immigration operation to date in 2026.
In a statement, the agency reported that among those arrested were “murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members”, and emphasized the arrests of individuals from various countries, in addition to releasing images of some of the arrests.
At the local level, the reaction was immediate and confrontational. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused ICE of “killing people” following the woman's death and demanded that the agents “go to hell.”
In a press conference, he stated that ICE was not providing security, but rather “chaos and mistrust”, separating families and “sowing chaos” in the cities.
Frey referred to the DHS's argument that the shots were fired in self-defense as "crap" and "garbage."
Latino organizations and leaders also condemned what happened. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus stated that the death was a direct result of an “irresponsible” policy from the Trump Administration based on “violent excesses” against immigrants and American citizens, and asserted that the Government “seeks violence to justify more violence.”
The group called for a "transparent" investigation and stated that it would use legal tools to demand accountability.
CNN reported that the Trump Administration planned to send about 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis to lead a campaign for the arrest of immigrants, including members of the Somali community and others from different countries.
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