New Minnesota Shooting Triggers Federal Emergency Threat
Minneapolis has erupted in tensions once again after a federal law enforcement officer shot a man in the leg Wednesday night during an immigration enforcement action, prompting protests and a heightened federal response. The shooting is the second involving federal immigration agents in the city in about a week, following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent earlier in January.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal officers attempted a traffic stop in north Minneapolis on Wednesday evening. The individual, identified in federal accounts as a Venezuelan man, fled the stop, crashed into a parked car and then resisted and allegedly assaulted an ICE officer on foot. In the ensuing struggle, the officer fired, striking the man in the leg. Authorities say the man was hospitalized and is expected to recover, and the incident also involved the arrest of two others alleged to have joined the confrontation.
The shooting ignited protests in Minneapolis, where thousands have been rallying against the federal immigration enforcement surge. Critics say the presence of thousands of federal agents—including ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other Homeland Security personnel—has transformed parts of the city into a volatile landscape of confrontation rather than community safety. Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have called for calm and for federal authorities to reassess their tactics, saying the situation has become “unsustainable.”
Amid the unrest, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act, a seldom-used federal law that would allow him to deploy U.S. troops and federalize the National Guard to quell protests and enforce federal immigration law. Trump’s announcement came via his social media platform, where he defended federal law enforcement actions and condemned local officials he says have failed to maintain order.
The Insurrection Act, first enacted in 1792 and amended over the centuries, permits the president to use military forces within the United States to suppress civil disorder, insurrection, or rebellion—an authority that has been invoked only rarely in modern history. Experts note that using it in a domestic law enforcement context is highly controversial and likely to face legal challenges from Minnesota leaders, who have already sued the federal government over what they describe as an unlawful targeting of their state.
This latest escalation follows growing outrage over the January 7 fatal shooting of Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent during a separate immigration operation in south Minneapolis—a killing that sparked national protests and calls for accountability from local and state officials.
As protests continue and the federal government signals a willingness to broaden its use of emergency powers, Minneapolis stands at the center of a bitter national debate over immigration enforcement, federal authority, and the limits of protest in America.