WASHINGTON, January 8. /TASS/. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, who has shot dead a female protestor in Minneapolis, was acting in self-defense, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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," the US leader said. "Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital."
The situation is being studied in its entirety, Trump continued, adding that, in his opinion, such incidents are happening is because radical left activists are resisting and targeting US law enforcement officers on a daily basis.
According to the report, ICE officers demanded a woman, whose car has stopped across the middle of the road, to leave her vehicle. When the car started to move forward, another ICE officer opened fire at the driver. The woman died of injuries on the site.
Reaction to the incident
Describing the incident as "an act of domestic terrorism," the US Department of Homeland Security said the woman was trying to run over ICE officers with her vehicle, and the officers acted in self-defense. In turn, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described ICE officers’ actions as "reckless," demanding that ICE officers leave the city. Meanwhile, Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz demanded "a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice."
The US administration has been holding large-scale operations to detain illegal migrants since late 2025. The Minneapolis-St. Paul agglomeration is home to the largest Somali diaspora worldwide.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that about 25 million people had entered the country illegally before he came to power, and has advocated stricter immigration policies. After the inauguration, the president introduced a state of emergency on the US border with Mexico. Trump promised to ensure the largest operation in American history to deport illegal migrants. Trump's political opponents accuse his administration of overly harsh actions against migrants.