(ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA) Federal immigration officers fired at a man during a tense arrest attempt in St. Paul on December 21, 2025, after they say he struck two officers with his SUV and tried to flee, a confrontation that unfolded in a residential area already on edge from stepped-up enforcement across Minnesota. The man, identified by federal officials as Juan Carlos Rodrigues Romero, a Cuban national living in the United States 🇺🇸 without legal status, was not hit by the gunfire and was taken into ICE custody, according to details provided by Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
What happened — sequence of events
- The incident began around 8:20 a.m. near the 1300 block of Westminster Street, where ICE agents approached Romero as he got into a white SUV, officials said.
- Agents identified themselves and ordered him to roll down his window. McLaughlin said Romero refused. When agents warned they would break the window if he didn’t comply, officials said Romero drove off, striking the first ICE agent as he pulled away.
- Agents followed Romero to the parking lot of his apartment complex, where the encounter escalated into a chain of collisions, according to McLaughlin’s account:
- Romero rammed his SUV into an ICE vehicle, striking a second agent.
- He then hit two parked cars and another ICE vehicle.
- In the middle of that chaos, the agent who had been struck fired shots at Romero’s SUV, but the rounds missed, McLaughlin said.
- St. Paul police responded after reports of shots fired, then confirmed that the gunfire came from a federal agent and deferred the matter to federal authorities.
- Romero got out of the SUV and tried to run into his apartment. As officers moved in to stop him, he bit an ICE agent while being subdued, according to the federal account.
Injuries, custody, and immediate aftermath
- Both agents who were struck by the SUV suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation, officials said.
- Romero was not injured by the shooting and remained in federal custody as of December 22, 2025.
- As of that date, there were no further updates reported on charges or the status of any investigation.
Eyewitness reaction and neighborhood impact
Susan Sulieman, a resident who heard a loud bang, sirens and gunshots, told reporters:
“If it was ICE that was out here, at least I know that they’re doing their job.”
Another resident reported damage to a vehicle from an ICE car, a reminder that even when rounds miss, an enforcement action can leave a physical mark on a neighborhood.
The scene — multiple vehicles colliding and an ICE agent firing a weapon in a residential area — increased anxiety. Even immigrants with no connection to Romero may fear that routine stops could become life-threatening. For U.S. citizens and lawful residents nearby, the incident raised concerns that clashes between federal officers and local streets could increase the risk of serious harm to agents, suspects, or uninvolved bystanders.
Immigration status and background detail
- Federal officials said Romero entered the United States 🇺🇸 in 2024 using the now-discontinued CBP One app program, which, under former President Joe Biden, allowed some asylum claimants who lacked proper papers to enter the country while their cases were reviewed.
- Officials described Romero as living in the country “illegally,” language commonly used by enforcement agencies to indicate a person lacks current lawful immigration status.
- The source material does not state:
- Whether Romero filed any immigration paperwork after entering in 2024,
- Whether he had an attorney, or
- Whether he had a pending asylum case at the time of the arrest attempt.
Context: Operation Metro Surge and tensions
- The arrest attempt came during Operation Metro Surge, a crackdown that began December 1, 2025, in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area.
- Federal officials pointed to clashes between ICE agents and protesters in Minneapolis the week before the St. Paul shooting, saying the environment had grown hostile as enforcement increased.
ICE issued a statement mixing operational detail with political language:
“This dangerous attempt to evade arrest comes after sanctuary politicians, like Governor Walz and other radical leftists, demeaned ICE… Attacks on ICE are up 1,150% and death threats up 8,000%.”
The statement did not provide the time frame or underlying data for those percentages, but the numbers indicate how the agency is framing enforcement as both a public-safety and immigration issue.
Differing perspectives and broader implications
- Supporters of strong enforcement often view the officer injuries in St. Paul as evidence that arrests can quickly become violent and that agents face real danger when a suspect uses a vehicle as a weapon.
- Critics and many immigrant advocates counter that large-scale operations can increase the chance of confrontations in populated neighborhoods, and that fear of detention can prompt risky reactions by people seeking to avoid arrest.
- The facts in this case show both types of hazards: two agents were struck by the SUV, and shots were fired in a residential area.
Practical realities of community enforcement
The incident highlights how community arrests can produce widely different outcomes — from quiet handcuffing to pursuits with serious injuries. Vehicles are particularly dangerous; a brief attempt to drive away can become, in seconds, an assault with a deadly weapon in the eyes of investigators, even before prosecutors decide on charges.
As of December 22, 2025:
– There was no public update on potential federal charges related to the alleged assaults, vehicle damage, or the alleged bite.
– There was no public update on whether any internal review of the ICE agent’s gunfire had begun.
Local politics and community effects
In Minnesota, where local and state officials are often drawn into national debates over “sanctuary” policy, incidents like this can quickly become proxy battles over public safety and responsibility. When an enforcement action ends with a suspect in custody, injured agents, damaged cars, and gunfire that misses, competing narratives can harden fast.
Analysis by VisaVerge.com notes that high-profile enforcement actions can affect immigrants’ day-to-day choices — from skipping work to avoiding medical care — because many people begin to fear that any contact with authorities may lead to immigration checks.
Where to find official information
For readers wanting a clearer view of ICE’s role and processes in community enforcement, the agency outlines its Enforcement and Removal Operations mission and detention process on its official site at ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. That page explains the role of ICE officers in arrests, detention, and removals, though it does not address the specific facts of the St. Paul case.
Key takeaways
- Juan Carlos Rodrigues Romero is in federal custody after an attempt to evade arrest on December 21, 2025.
- Two ICE agents were struck by Romero’s SUV and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
- An ICE agent fired at Romero’s vehicle; the rounds missed and Romero was not struck.
- The episode occurred amid Operation Metro Surge and heightened local tensions over immigration enforcement.
- As of December 22, 2025, there were no public updates on charges or internal reviews related to the shooting.
This single moment of resistance has already left an imprint on the neighborhood and will likely influence how people in this part of Minnesota discuss and respond to immigration enforcement going forward.
An arrest attempt in St. Paul escalated into violence when Juan Carlos Rodrigues Romero allegedly used his SUV to strike two ICE agents. During the pursuit, a federal officer fired a weapon, though no injuries resulted from the gunfire. Romero, a Cuban national who entered via CBP One, was eventually detained. The incident occurred during a localized enforcement crackdown, fueling ongoing debates about public safety and immigration policy.
