One person is dead after federal immigration officers were forced to open fire during a violent encounter in Minneapolis that authorities are now calling an act of domestic terrorism.
According to law enforcement officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting targeted enforcement operations Wednesday morning when a group of violent agitators began interfering with the operation. During the chaos, one female suspect allegedly weaponized her vehicle and attempted to run over ICE officers in what officials described as a deliberate attempt to kill federal agents.
An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow officers, and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. The suspect was struck and later pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities confirmed that no ICE officers were killed and that those injured are expected to make full recoveries.
Thankfully the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make a full recovery. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to NBC News that the woman rammed her vehicle into ICE agents, which led directly to the shooting. DHS officials said the fatal incident occurred around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING: Federal agents FATALLY SHOT a violent rioter in Minneapolis who weaponized her vehicle to try and kill ICE agents, law enforcement confirm
She tried to RUN THEM OVER – “An act of domestic terrorism.”😠
Holy crap. Pray for ICE and all federal agents.
The agent… pic.twitter.com/Atiq2S2ecb
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 7, 2026
Officials have not yet confirmed whether the collision involved direct contact between vehicles or between the vehicle and ICE agents on foot. DHS also declined to say whether the deceased suspect was the subject of an active ICE warrant at the time of the incident.
A witness told KARE 11 that the woman appeared to be attempting to flee from ICE agents when she was shot. That account has not been officially confirmed by authorities.
Photos and video from the scene show a burgundy SUV with a bullet hole through the driver’s side windshield. The vehicle was crashed into a light pole, with two additional damaged cars parked nearby. Both vehicles were reportedly parked the wrong direction on a one way street.
Portland Avenue was closed to traffic for several hours as investigators secured the area and conducted a forensic examination of the scene. Federal officials said that the ICE agents acted lawfully and defensively in response to a lethal threat.
The incident comes amid rising tensions surrounding immigration enforcement operations across the country, with federal agents increasingly facing aggressive resistance from activist groups.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz responded to the shooting with a brief statement on social media, urging calm while his administration gathers more information.
“My public safety team is working to gather information on an ICE related shooting this morning,” Walz wrote on X. “We will share information as we learn more. In the meantime, I ask folks to remain calm.”
Federal immigration enforcement activity has significantly increased in Minneapolis in recent weeks, driven by what the Department of Homeland Security has described as the largest immigration operation ever conducted in Minnesota. Beginning in late December and intensifying into early January, roughly 2,000 federal personnel from ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection were deployed across the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area as part of a coordinated crackdown focused on immigration violations, human smuggling, and alleged fraud tied to public assistance programs .
This is a developing story…
