A Venezuelan migrant was shot in the leg after assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer with a shovel during a targeted enforcement operation near North Sixth Street and North 24th Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday evening.
DHS officials stated that the migrant struck the officer with a shovel, attempting to hit his head, prompting the officer to fire defensive shots in self-defense. The migrant fled into a nearby residence where three other targeted migrants were located, barricading the building. ICE eventually breached the structure using a specialized tactical unit and detained all four individuals.
Homeland Security officials reported that the officer faced an attack from multiple individuals, including two others who emerged from a nearby apartment wielding a snow shovel and a broom handle. “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired defensive shots to defend his life,” DHS officials said in their statement.
Following the incident, leftist agitators in Minneapolis began protesting ICE operations, engaging in confrontations with federal officers that turned violent throughout the night. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) and Police Chief Brian O’Hara jointly criticized ICE during a news conference, urging calm while condemning the agency’s actions. Frey stated: “We have ICE agents throughout our city and throughout our state who, along with Border Patrol, are creating chaos. This is not the path we should be on in America.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche attributed the violence to Minnesota’s Democratic leadership, claiming: “Minnesota insurrection is a direct result of a FAILED governor and a TERRIBLE mayor encouraging violence against law enforcement.” Governor Tim Walz has previously compared ICE operations to Adolf Hitler’s Gestapo and likened current immigration enforcement efforts in the state to an “occupation.”
