Protesters and federal law enforcement clashed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night into Thursday morning after a second ICE-involved shooting in the city, as local officials continue to demand the agency leave.
An ICE agent shot an alleged illegal immigrant in the leg on Wednesday during an arrest attempt. The Department of Homeland Security claims the agent fired at the suspect because he was “fearing for his life and safety” after the individual resisted arrest and “violently assaulted the officer.”
The suspect was reported to be stable and is now in custody, while the ICE agent is allegedly in the hospital.
This comes after an incident last week in Minneapolis, where Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by masked ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fired into the driver’s windshield and open window from the side of the vehicle and subsequently exclaimed “f—ing b—-” as the car crashed into another parked vehicle.
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Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for Ross’ prosecution, while the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident by arguing that it was a justified shooting.
Protests continued on Wednesday after the latest shooting, with demonstrators using horns and whistles and officers deploying tear gas and pepper balls.
There were at least a hundred people at the scene, where officers were dispersing pepper spray, throwing pepper balls and using flash bangs as protesters tossed items at the agents. Demonstrators were also calling on ICE to leave the city and holding signs with phrases such as “f— ICE.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a crowd was committing “unlawful acts,” including throwing fireworks at officers, and urged people to “leave immediately.”
“This is already a very tense situation, and we do not need this to escalate any further,” he said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged peaceful demonstrations in response to the shooting.
“I know you’re angry. I’m angry. What Donald Trump wants is violence in the streets. But Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. Don’t give him what he wants,” Walz wrote on X.
Walz also made an address to Minnesotans where he again called on ICE to leave the state.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who has repeatedly demanded that ICE leave, said the agency’s presence is not establishing safety for community members.
“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in,” he said at a news conference, adding that the deployment of roughly 3,000 ICE agents in Minneapolis and statewide was “creating chaos.”
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“It’s certainly not creating safety when a huge percentage of the shootings that have taken place so far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE,” he said. “So let’s be very clear. I’ve seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable.”
The mayor also praised people protesting peacefully but warned that others were “taking the bait.”
“We cannot counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” he said.
“American citizens are getting picked up off the street by people in masks,” the mayor added. “That’s not the way things should be conducted in any city in America. That’s not who we are, that’s not America. So I’m calling for peace. Everybody has a role in achieving that peace. We’re going to try to do everything we can to keep it.”
Fox News’ Michael Sinkewicz and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
