Protests erupt in Minneapolis after woman shot dead by US immigration agent

MINNEAPOLIS: Protesters clashed with law-enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Thursday after the fatal shooting of a woman by a US immigration agent triggered widespread outrage, intensified by the Trump administration’s insistence that the victim was guilty of “domestic terrorism”.

Federal officers armed with pepperball guns and teargas confronted a large crowd outside a government facility in Fort Snelling, just outside Minneapolis. An AFP photographer reported tense scenes as officers pushed against chanting protesters, detained several individuals and arrested at least one person accused of striking an agent with a cardboard sign.

The shooting occurred on Wednesday and involved 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot at point-blank range as she appeared to try to drive away from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surrounding her vehicle. Federal officers said her car was blocking their path.

Video footage shows a masked ICE agent attempting to open the car door before another masked officer fired three shots into the Honda SUV. The vehicle then veered out of control and crashed into parked cars. Good’s bloodied body was later seen slumped inside the wrecked vehicle as bystanders shouted at the officers.

President Donald Trump and senior administration officials quickly claimed Good was attempting to kill the agents, describing the shooting as an act of self-defence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected that claim, calling it “bullshit”.

“I want to see nobody get shot. I want to see nobody screaming and trying to run over policemen either,” Trump told The New York Times. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as “domestic terrorism”, while Vice President JD Vance referred to the victim on social media as “a deranged leftist”.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told CNN that Good was not the target of any immigration enforcement action and was only suspected of blocking traffic.

Protests intensified after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said it was a “patriotic duty” to demonstrate for justice, while urging protesters to do so peacefully.

ICE agents have played a central role in the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation drive, which has faced resistance from several state and local officials. The Department of Homeland Security last year launched a recruitment campaign to add 10,000 ICE agents to its existing force of around 6,000, drawing criticism over training standards.

Witnesses described chaotic and disturbing scenes at the site of the shooting. Brandon Hewitt told local media he heard three gunshots and recorded video of officers carrying the body to an ambulance. Another witness told FOX9 that a surviving passenger exited the vehicle “covered in blood” and that a man identifying himself as a doctor was prevented from reaching Good.

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Good’s mother, Donna Ganger, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that her daughter was likely terrified and was “not part of anything like” confronting immigration officers. US media reported that Good was a mother and a poet who studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

Authorities said up to 2,000 officers were deployed in Minneapolis for immigration enforcement operations. The incident comes amid growing nationwide protests against immigration raids ordered by the Trump administration, which has pledged to arrest and deport what it says are millions of undocumented migrants.