(MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, USA) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday “an act of domestic terrorism,” describing the agent’s actions as self-defense during what she said was a vehicle attack.
Noem said the woman tried to ram immigration officers during an enforcement operation near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, and she said an agent “acted quickly and defensively shot to protect himself and the people around him,” killing the driver.
“It was an act of domestic terrorism. . These vehicle rammings are domestic acts of terrorism. We’re working with the Department of Justice to prosecute them as such,” Noem said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected Noem’s account after he said he viewed video of the encounter, accusing federal officials of trying to frame the shooting as justified.
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bullshit. It’s a garbage narrative,” Frey said.
The shooting happened during an ICE immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis, where agents’ vehicle got stuck in snow amid adverse weather. Noem said the woman “attacked them and those surrounding them and attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
Bystanders quickly disputed the official account. DHS continued gathering information, and Noem said the matter involved cooperation with the Department of Justice.
Noem tied the south Minneapolis shooting to what she described as a broader federal push against violent crime and exploitation, saying ICE officers face assaults “every single day.” Speaking during a public appearance in Texas, she also criticized sanctuary policies and argued that jurisdictions that shield offenders should face consequences.
“Sanctuary cities and sanctuary states that protect individuals who do that should no longer be allowed. Domestic acts of terrorism like this will not stand,” Noem said.
Federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities has been underway for over a month, and Noem said Wednesday’s death was the first fatality in the ongoing operations. She said her department had deployed over 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area in recent days.
That surge, Noem said, resulted in “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests of individuals involved in fraud, murder, rape, trafficking, drug exploitation, and child exploitation. Noem did not provide a breakdown of the arrests during her remarks.
Frey, who had earlier demanded ICE leave the city, delivered his remarks at a news conference after reviewing video, directly challenging Noem’s description of the woman as the aggressor and the agent’s decision to fire as self-defense. He did not describe the video publicly beyond his blunt rejection of the federal narrative.
Noem’s characterization of the incident as domestic terrorism put a sharpened label on confrontations that federal officials have warned about during immigration operations, particularly when officers in marked or unmarked vehicles are approached or blocked. In her Texas appearance, she framed the Minneapolis confrontation as part of a pattern, arguing that vehicle rammings should be treated as terrorism and prosecuted accordingly.
Her remarks also signaled a tougher posture toward sanctuary policies, with Noem linking the shooting to her administration’s broader enforcement message and pressing for accountability from jurisdictions she said protect people who commit violence against officers. She did not name specific cities or states during the quote provided.
The clash between Noem and Frey played out as DHS continued to gather information about what happened near East 34th Street and Portland Avenue, where snowy conditions left agents’ vehicle stuck. Noem did not identify the woman, the agent, or the specific target of the enforcement operation in her public account.
Frey’s public pushback, and the accounts from bystanders disputing the official version, added pressure on federal officials to clarify the sequence of events. DHS has not released further details in the information provided, and Noem’s statements emphasized both the claim of a vehicle attack and her intent to work with the Justice Department.
Noem’s use of the term domestic terrorism also carried a political message about the administration’s view of violence against federal officers during enforcement actions.
“These vehicle rammings are domestic acts of terrorism,” she said, adding, “We’re working with the Department of Justice to prosecute them as such.”
Frey, in contrast, framed the immediate federal response as an effort to shape public perception before a fuller accounting, directing his sharpest words at the claim the shooting was self-defense.
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bullshit. It’s a garbage narrative,” he said.
As the investigation continues, Noem has placed the incident within a larger crackdown she said has led to “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests and involved over 2,000 federal agents in recent days. She also reiterated her view that violence against ICE officers is frequent, saying assaults occur “every single day,” and vowed that “Domestic acts of terrorism like this will not stand.”
The fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has triggered a clash between federal and local officials. Secretary Kristi Noem justified the use of force as self-defense against ‘domestic terrorism’ involving a vehicle attack. Mayor Jacob Frey, after viewing video, dismissed this version as ‘bullshit.’ The event occurred during a month-long operation that deployed 2,000 federal agents to the Twin Cities area.
