US: ICE agent shoots Venezuelan man amid record immigration enforcement

WASHINGTON: A US federal immigration agent shot a man in Minneapolis, city officials said, urging the public to "remain calm" a week after agents shot and killed an American woman in the same city.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the shooting resulted from a struggle in front of a residence between a man and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on the north side of the city Wednesday evening.

"During the struggle, the federal agent discharged his weapon, striking one adult male," O'Hara told reporters at a press conference.

The man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg and was transported to a hospital for treatment, officials said.

The shooting marked the second time in a week an ICE agent had shot someone in Minneapolis, with the previous shooting resulting in the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on January 7, sparking ongoing protests against the presence of federal agents in the northern US city.

"We understand there is anger," officials wrote on the midwestern city's X account, adding that "the City of Minneapolis again demands that ICE leave the city and the state immediately."

O'Hara said Wednesday's shooting generated a crowd of protesters around where it happened, with some throwing fireworks at officers.

'This is not sustainable'
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed the shooting in a post on X, saying "an illegal alien from Venezuela" was targeted for a traffic stop and resisted arrest.

"While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle," DHS said.

The officer then "fired a defensive shot to defend his life," hitting the initial subject in the leg.

Elected officials in Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota have decried the actions of Department of Homeland Security agents, including those with ICE.

"This is not sustainable," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters, adding: "We have ICE agents throughout our city and throughout our state who, along with Border Patrol, are creating chaos."
"This is not the path that we should be on right now in America."

In a video posted to social media earlier Wednesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz decried "the chaos, disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down on our community," describing door-to-door interrogations by "armed, masked, undertrained" ICE agents.

The Democrat said federal immigration authorities have deployed thousands of agents to Minnesota and were carrying out enforcement operations he said are disrupting communities and affecting residents, including US citizens.

Walz described the actions as excessive and politically motivated, criticized the federal government’s response to a recent death during an operation, and cited the resignation of several federal prosecutors as raising constitutional concerns.

He urged residents to protest peacefully, document enforcement activity, and pursue accountability through the courts and elections, while reaffirming Minnesota’s commitment to the rule of law and civil rights.

Detention reaches record levels
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2025 Year in Review, the administration reported more than 622,000 removals from the United States between Jan. 20, 2025, and late 2025.

DHS also said more than 2 million people left the country voluntarily under “Project Homecoming,” which encouraged self-deportation through incentives and a self-reporting feature on the CBP Home app.

It also reported a sharp increase in interior enforcement, including more than 10,000 arrests in the Los Angeles area since June 2025 and more than 4,500 arrests during an operation known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”

In Minnesota, DHS said more than 1,360 people were targeted for arrest detainers during “Operation Metro Surge,” while a separate initiative, “Operation Tidal Wave,” resulted in 1,100 arrests in six days.

DHS reported arrests this month of individuals it identified as suspected gang members and people with prior violent crime convictions.

Meanwhile, ICE detention data current as of early January 2026 shows the detained population reached a record high of 68,990 people held in 212 facilities nationwide. ICE reported an average of 1,220 arrests per day in December 2025, with the daily rate falling to 315 arrests during the first week of January, which the agency attributed to a seasonal slowdown.

ICE said it was monitoring more than 180,000 people through alternatives to detention programs, including a record number using GPS ankle monitors.

Independent analyses from the American Immigration Council said the detention population continued to climb toward 70,000 by mid-January.

Data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse shows Texas held the largest number of ICE detainees, with nearly 18,000, followed by Louisiana and California. TRAC also reported ICE expanded its detention network significantly in 2025, using 104 more facilities by the end of the year than at the start, nearly doubling its total capacity.