Minnesota Democrats voice outrage after fatal ICE shooting: ‘Leave our state immediately’

Democratic leaders across Minnesota are calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to leave Minneapolis and are urging residents to “remain calm” after a federal immigration officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in the city during an immigration enforcement operation on Wednesday.

“We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis,” Jacob Frey, Minneapolis’s Democratic mayor, said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon after the shooting. “They are not here to cause safety in this city. What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing in causing chaos and distrust.”

At the news conference, Frey also rejected the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the incident, in which they said that while ICE officers were conducting targeted operations, “rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them”, which the DHS said prompted an ICE officer to fire “defensive shots”.

“Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” Frey said at the news conference. “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”

In recent days, the Trump administration has sent more ICE agents into Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents there.

Tim Walz, Minnesota’s Democratic governor, also rejected DHS’s account of the fatal shooting.

“I’ve seen the video,” Walz said in a statement. “Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”

At a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Walz said that he had activated the state’s emergency operations center and “issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota national guard”.

“We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt,” Walz said.

During his remarks, Walz told Minnesotans: “I feel your anger, I’m angry”, but urged residents who planned on protesting to “please do so peacefully”.

Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said in a statement: “While there’s a lot we don’t know at this time, let me be clear about one thing: Donald Trump’s decision to send thousands of armed ICE agents to Minnesota is causing serious harm and spreading terror throughout our communities.

“If anyone broke the law in today’s act of violence, I will do all I can to ensure they are held accountable,” he added.

Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democratic senator, described the situation on the ground in Minneapolis as “volatile”, adding: “ICE should leave now for everyone’s safety. Please be safe Minneapolis.”

Other Democratic representatives in Minnesota also issued statements on the incident. Representative Kelly Morrison on X said she was monitoring the incident and that “the initial reports are horrific – and we need full transparency and accountability for this unspeakable tragedy”.

“The safety of Minnesotans should be the highest priority at this time,” she said. “ICE needs to leave our state immediately to deescalate this situation and prevent further chaos and harm.”

Representative Betty McCollum echoed the calls for ICE to leave Minneapolis: “Sec. Noem must immediately cease and desist the ICE operation to allow state and local law enforcement officials to restore order and prevent further injuries, and to allow for a full and independent investigation into ICE’s actions which led to this incident,” she said on X. “It is clear that ICE’s grossly unprofessional conduct is needlessly causing chaos in Minnesota. I share Minnesotans’ concern for those who are impacted by this violence amidst this incredibly volatile situation. I urge community members to remain calm.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota also released a statement, calling for “an immediate and transparent investigation into the shooting”, adding: “We are waiting to learn more, but this is what we know: ICE is endangering our communities and must leave Minnesota immediately.”

The Democratic party’s official X account wrote: “ICE shot and killed a woman on camera today. We all saw the video. The Trump administration is lying.”

Political commentator and former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann described the shooting as “murder” and accused ICE and Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, of lying. “Arrest the perpetrators,” he added.

In contrast, Minnesota Republicans defended ICE officers and the increased immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

Representative Michelle Fischbach on X said: “Today’s targeted assault on ICE agents in Minneapolis is the direct result of the dangerous rhetoric from sanctuary policies and the politicians who back them.

“I stand with the officer who acted in self-defense to save lives, and I will continue to fight for the men and women who keep our communities safe,” she continued.

Republican representative Tom Emmer reposted the DHS statement about the fatal shooting and noted: “Our brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities from dangerous criminals.

“Shame on the elected officials who endanger these agents by spewing lies and hateful rhetoric,” he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump also weighed in on the incident, defending the actions of the ICE officer involved in the fatal shooting.

“I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.”