August M
Hundreds of federal immigration officers are being sent to Minneapolis as protests grow and tensions sharpen between local leaders and the Trump administration. The deployment follows the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by an ICE agent, an incident that has drawn national attention and competing accounts.
Federal officials say the move is part of a broader immigration crackdown, while city and state leaders argue it is inflaming an already volatile situation.
Officers mobilised
According to CNN, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said hundreds of Border Patrol officers were being mobilised to support federal immigration operations in Minneapolis.
The city has been a flashpoint since December, when President Donald Trump expanded enforcement actions targeting Somali Minnesotans.
The surge comes days after Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed during an encounter involving an ICE agent. Videos of the incident continue to surface, adding to public scrutiny.
Federal officials say the deployment is necessary to maintain order. Local leaders have called on immigration authorities to leave the city.
Videos under review
The Department of Homeland Security posted new footage on X showing the minutes before the shooting. DHS claimed, without providing evidence, that Good had been “stalking and impeding a law enforcement operation”.
CNN reported that earlier bystander footage appeared to show Good’s vehicle moving forward as an agent stepped aside.
Video recorded by the agent who fired the shots does not clearly show whether contact occurred.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the footage supports the agency’s position that the agent acted in self-defense.
Political clash
The shooting has intensified a war of words between federal and local officials. Noem accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of politicising the incident and fuelling unrest.
“They have inflamed the public,” Noem said on CNN’s State of the Union, urging them to “grow up”.
Frey rejected that criticism, telling CNN the city had seen only two shootings this year, “and one of them was ICE”. He called the killing reckless and demanded an independent investigation.
Protests spread
As anger over Good’s death grew, CNN reported that more than 1,000 demonstrations were planned nationwide over the weekend.
Thousands gathered in Minneapolis, including at the site of the shooting, despite freezing conditions.
Protests also took place in cities including Los Angeles and Washington, with demonstrators carrying anti-ICE signs and criticising the administration’s immigration policies.
Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar said federal tactics were creating “confusion” and “chaos”, while DHS said new restrictions on lawmakers visiting detention facilities were needed due to security concerns.
Sources: CNN
