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A US IMMIGRATION and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has shot and killed a woman during a raid in Minneapolis, sparking protests in the city and condemnation from politicians in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security has claimed the shooting was an act of self-defence and said the woman tried to run over the immigration agents with her car in what it called “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. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers,” the department said in a statement on social media.
“The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”
US President Donald Trump repeated this, writing on his Truth Social platform that the woman “was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting” and that the agent “seems to have shot her in self-defense.”
But Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey has called the claim that the agents were acting in self defence “bullshit”.
“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying,” he said.
The woman has been named by local media as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.
Multiple videos which appear to show the incident have spread on social media.
The footage shows shows a Honda SUV apparently blocking unmarked law enforcement vehicles as they attempt to drive down a snow-covered street. Two agents approach the vehicle and one tries to open the driver’s side door. Another agent can be seen near the front of the car as he does this.
The driver, who the mayor said was a 37-year-old woman, then attempts to drive off. The agent near the front of the vehicle then appears to fire three shots as the car pulls away from him. The car can then be seen crashing into a white parked car further up the street.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to ICE: “Get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” pic.twitter.com/oGBcsub7ZZ
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 7, 2026
Frey said “we’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis” and called for the immigration agents to leave the city.
Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here.
He continued: “Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart … and now somebody is dead.”
The shooting happened during protest action against an apparent immigration enforcement activity in the south of the city.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension would be involved in the investigation into the shooting, as would the FBI, officials said.
Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz called the federal government’s response to the incident “propaganda” and vowed his state would “ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation.”
I’ve seen the video.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 7, 2026
Don’t believe this propaganda machine.
The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice. https://t.co/3faWW4bQvV
In a news conference, Walz said he has issued “a warning order” to prepare the state’s national guard.
“I feel your anger. I’m angry,” he said, before urging any protesters to remain peaceful. “They want a show. We can’t give it to them.”
Walz added: “I have a very simple message: we do not need any further help from the federal government. Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you’ve done enough.”
Large crowds chanting anti-ICE slogans formed near the scene of the shooting.
There have been passionate protests against immigration operations of the Trump administration, which has vowed to arrest and deport what it says are “millions” of undocumented migrants.
The DHS called the violence a “direct consequence of constant attacks and demonisation of our officers.”
The shooting reportedly occurred at 34th Street and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis.
Nearby, ICE officers pepper-sprayed and shoved protesters, footage broadcast by local CBS affiliate WCCO showed.
Dozens of protesters and bystanders were seen on the scene after the incident.
“There’s no way whatever this person did that they deserved to be killed for it,” one bystander told the broadcaster.
Trump has made preventing unlawful immigration and expelling undocumented migrants priorities during his second term, and has tightened conditions for entering the US and obtaining visas.
During his campaign, Trump likened undocumented migrants to “animals,” frequently linking them, without evidence, to criminal behavior.
ICE – which critics accuse of transforming into a paramilitary force under Trump – has been tasked with deporting an unprecedented number of undocumented migrants.
US authorities said that as many as 2,000 officers had been deployed to Minneapolis and surrounding areas to conduct immigration sweeps, partly in response to claims of fraud against some Somali residents.
In November 2025 a judge threw out charges against two people accused of using their vehicle to ambush officers carrying out immigration enforcement in Chicago.
With reporting from AFP
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