Gov. Walz calls fatal ICE shooting ‘totally predictable, totally avoidable’
Gov. Walz reacts to woman killed by ICE: 'This was so preventable'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacted after a woman was fatally shot by a federal agent Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis. Federal authorities say the woman was attempting to ram an ICE vehicle when she was shot and killed.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A 37-year-old woman was fatally shot by a federal agent Wednesday morning in south Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the incident "totally predictable, totally avoidable." He also blamed the Trump Administration for creating a chaotic environment in the Twin Cities, as more than 2,000 federal agents were recently added to an already ongoing immigration enforcement program.
Minneapolis ICE shooting
What we know:
An ICE agent fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.
Federal officials are claiming self-defense, but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is calling "bullshit" on that claim. The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. in the area of East 34th Street and Portland Avenue. The woman died at the hospital.
Witnesses told FOX 9 a woman got into a red vehicle and there was one ICE agent on either side of the vehicle trying to get in, and a third ICE agent came and tried to yank on the driver's side door. One of the agents on the driver's side door backed away, and then opened fire, shooting three times through the driver's side window, witnesses said.
One witness said the vehicle wasn't moving toward the agents. However, federal officials said ICE officers were "conducting targeted operations" when "rioters" blocked officers. One of the "rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them." Officials said an ICE officer who was "fearing for his life" fired "defensive shots" to save himself and his officers, killing the woman.
Gov. Tim Walz calls fatal ICE shooting 'Governing by reality TV'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacted Wednesday afternoon to the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal agent in south Minneapolis Wednesday morning. Walz called it "governing by reality TV" and an act of recklessness that cost someone their life.
‘It’s Governing by reality TV’
What they're saying:
Walz blasted President Trump for sending 2,000 additional federal agents to the Twin Cities for immigration enforcement. Walz says it’s creating an environment of chaos and danger in Minneapolis, and an incident like Wednesday’s shooting was bound to happen.
"We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump Administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt. What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict," Walz said. "It’s governing by reality TV, and today that recklessness cost someone their life."
Wednesday's shooting comes after U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was in Minneapolis earlier this week, helping federal agents with immigration operations.
"We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, you’ve done enough, Walz said. "Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait."
Walz readies National Guard
What's next:
Walz said Minnesota’s State Emergency Operations Center has been activated, with civil unrest expected in the aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting. Walz has also issued an order to prepare the National Guard, if needed to assist with public safety and emergency response operations.
The National Guard was most recently on the ready in July of 2025, when the City of St. Paul was experiencing a cybersecurity attack. They were also prepared in March of 2021 during the trial for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day in 2020.
The Minnesota State Patrol has also mobilized 85 members of its Mobile Response Team to support law enforcement in the Twin Cities.
Gov. Walz on fatal ICE shooting: 'Maybe this is their McCarthy moment'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacts to the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal agent Wednesday morning in Minneapolis. Walz says the incident was preventable, unnecessary and blames the Trump Administration for creating a chaotic environment in The Twin Cities due to an immigration crackdown with an increase in federal agents.
"I want Minnesotans to hear this, the desire to get out and protest and to speak up to this administration of how wrong this is, that is a patriotic duty. But it needs to be done safely," Walz said.
Trump’s McCarthy moment?
Dig deeper:
Walz has been at odds with President Trump since he was the vice presidential nominee under Kamala Harris. Walz warned to Minnesotans Trump will make Wednesday’s incident about him, as the state remains under investigation for widespread fraud.
"Donald Trump will make this about me, about politics. This is about public safety. To Americans who are watching this, stand with us against this. This was so preventable, so unnecessary. I don’t know, maybe we’re at their McCarthy moment. Do you have no decency? We have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever," Walz said. "I don’t want to be right about this, but I said if they do this, they’re going to create a chaotic situation where someone innocent is going to get killed, and they did it. Now we here more political rhetoric, enough is enough. To Minnesotans, don’t take the bait, do not allow them to deploy federal troops, to invoke the Insurrection Act, to declare martial law, do not allow them to lie about the security and decency of this state."