Tensions flare again as immigration agent shoots Venezuelan man in Minneapolis

Tensions flare again as immigration agent shoots Venezuelan man in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, a city already on edge after a controversial fatal shooting by immigration officers last week, saw fresh unrest on Wednesday when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan man during a North Minneapolis traffic stop.

The incident captured in official statements and social media buzz has once again thrust federal immigration enforcement into the spotlight, sparking protests, political criticism and renewed demands for ICE to withdraw from the city and state.

What happened on the streets of North Minneapolis

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the episode began as a targeted traffic stop when officers tried to detain a Venezuelan national. The man, described as being in the U.S. without legal status, fled in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car before attempting to escape on foot.

DHS says that when officers caught up with him, the man resisted arrest and a struggle ensued. Two other individuals allegedly emerged from a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with makeshift weapons a snow shovel and a broom handle prompting the agent to fire what DHS called a defensive shot, striking the man in the leg.

The man was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, city officials confirmed, and the two others involved were taken into custody.

A city already fraught with outrage

Minneapolis has been grappling with the fallout of immigration enforcement for the past week. On January 7, a federal agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, an American citizen, in a separate ICE-related operation a killing that fueled widespread protests and political debate about the role of federal immigration agents in local communities.

City officials took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to urge residents to remain calm even as frustration mounted. “We understand there is anger,” the city’s statement read, adding that local leaders once again demanded ICE depart both the city and the state immediately.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as “unsustainable,” accusing federal agents of creating chaos and placing local communities in “an impossible situation.”

Public reaction: protests and calls to document enforcement

As news of the shooting spread, local reaction was swift and divided. Protesters gathered near the scene, with reports of fireworks and confrontations prompting law enforcement to deploy irritants and flashbangs to disperse the crowd.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in a video shared on social media earlier Wednesday, condemned the federal operation as a source of “chaos, disruption and trauma,” accusing immigration agents of conducting aggressive door-to-door actions in neighbourhoods. He encouraged residents to document immigration enforcement to hold authorities accountable.

For many Minneapolis residents, the flashpoints have revived deep frustrations around federal presence in local policing and questions about how immigration enforcement is carried out on the ground.

A broader political flashpoint

The Wednesday incident comes amid a broader national debate on immigration policy and federal enforcement under the current U.S. administration. Minneapolis, in particular, has become a focal point for protests and legal challenges to what opponents describe as heavy-handed federal tactics.

While the federal government frames such operations as necessary to enforce immigration laws, critics argue they erode trust in law enforcement and disproportionately impact communities of colour.

With protests continuing and political pressure mounting locally and nationally, Minneapolis finds itself once again at the centre of a contentious and deeply emotional national conversation about immigration, enforcement and community safety.

{Source: IOL}

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