A US immigration agent fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday as part of an immigration crackdown, local and federal officials have confirmed.
The killing comes amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to dispel illegal migrants from the country.
The Trump administration justified the shooting on the basis that it was in self-defence, a claim which Jacob Frey, the Mayor of Minneapolis, has firmly rejected.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Homeland Security, wrote on X claiming that the officer started shooting after a "violent rioter" tried to run over ICE officers.
She wrote: "The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries."
The mayor said that in the video he reviewed, the woman could not be seen trying to ram anyone.
The mayor said he has seen footage of the shooting, which he said directly contradicts what he branded as the government's "garbage narrative."
Addressing a press conference, he said: "They're already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense."
"Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly - that is bullshit."
Visibly angry, Frey slammed federal immigration agents, who he said were responsible for causing chaos in the city, telling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: "Get the f*** out of Minneapolis."
Amidst the emotion, he asked residents to remain calm.
Following the shooting, protests erupted in the streets near the scene. Some of the protestors have been met by heavily armed federal agents donning gas masks who sprayed chemicals at demonstrators.
According to Brian O'Hara, the city police chief, early investigation suggested that the woman's vehicle was obstructing traffic when an officer approached on foot.
He said, "The vehicle began to drive off. At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway."
Throughout his first year in office, the president has sent federal immigration agents to Democratic-majority cities across the U.S. as part of his ongoing crackdown against illegal immigration, a move that has been met with fierce backlash from some local residents.
According to reports, the Trump administration intended to send around 2,000 agents to Minneapolis, following recent claims of an alleged wide-scale welfare fraud scheme in the city, which supposedly involved Somali immigrations.
According to the police chief, the victim, who was a married woman, was not a target of immigration operations.
After the shooting, the victim’s blood-stained car reportedly hit a pole across the street from where the incident took place.
Venus de Mars, a 65-year-old who lives near the scene, witnessed paramedics perform CPR on the woman before loading her into an ambulance that drove away without sirens on.
Recalling the tragic scene, she said: "There's been lots of ICE activity, but nothing like this. I'm so angry. I'm so angry, and I feel helpless."
While the identity of the victim of the shooting has not been disclosed, Senator Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said that she was a US citizen.
