Minnesota officials dispute federal account of fatal ICE shooting

Members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit shove a man to the ground as federal agents try to leave the scene of a shooting involving a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. A federal immigration officer shot and killed a person in Minneapolis on Wednesday during an enforcement operation, the Department of Homeland Security said. (David Guttenfelder/The New York Times)

BY JULIE BOSMAN, MITCH SMITH and DAN SIMMONS

A federal officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, as the Trump administration intensified a crackdown on illegal immigration in the city. Details of the shooting remained in dispute, with state and local officials describing federal accounts as “propaganda” and “garbage.”

Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said in a statement that an agent had opened fire after a woman “weaponized her vehicle” in an attempt to kill federal officers, while the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, described the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism.”

Mayor Jacob Frey called the official federal account “bullshit,” describing the shooting instead as “an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.” Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota posted on social media, “I’ve seen the video,” adding, “Don’t believe this propaganda machine.”

Here are the details:

— What videos show: Three videos of the shooting posted on social media and verified by The New York Times show two federal agents trying to get a woman to exit a vehicle that is partially blocking a street. The driver reverses, then pulls forward and begins to turn. A third agent pulls out a gun and fires a shot, then continues firing as the vehicle moves past him.

— Victim unidentified: City officials in their news conference did not name the woman who was killed, though Frey cited her age. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat whose congressional district includes the shooting scene, described the person as a “legal observer.” The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said there was “nothing to indicate that this woman was the target of any law enforcement investigation or activity.”

— Calls for calm: Walz asked for people to remain calm as about a thousand protesters gathered at the scene of the shooting, chanting for immigration agents to leave Minnesota. The shooting took place in a middle-class residential neighborhood about a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

— Federal crackdown: About 2,000 federal agents were expected to take part in the immigration enforcement operation, which could last for weeks, according to the Trump administration. Federal officials have framed the crackdown as a response to illegal immigration and widespread fraud in state social service systems. Several of the state’s top Democrats called on federal agents to leave the city, accusing them of sowing chaos.

— Other shootings: Federal agents enforcing immigration laws have been involved in several shootings in recent months, including in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas. At least 10 such shootings have been reported by news outlets since President Donald Trump returned to office.