Violent clashes erupt in Minneapolis after ICE agent shoots Venezuelan migrant VIDEO

On January 14 evening, violent clashes erupted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the US, after a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan man during an enforcement operation, escalating tensions in a city already on edge from earlier federal immigration‑related violence.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the incident occurred around 6:50 p.m. in north Minneapolis while federal agents were conducting a targeted traffic stop, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Guardian.

DHS said the Venezuelan national, who authorities described as in the United States without legal status, attempted to evade arrest by fleeing the scene in a vehicle and crashing into a parked car before running on foot.

DHS further reported that as the ICE officer pursued the individual, a struggle ensued. Two people emerged from a nearby residence and, along with the original suspect, allegedly attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. The agency stated the officer fired a defensive shot, striking the Venezuelan man in the leg. Both the man and the ICE agent were hospitalised with injuries that officials described as not life‑threatening, and the two other alleged attackers were taken into custody.

The shooting rapidly drew local residents and activists to the scene, where demonstrators clashed with federal agents and local law enforcement. Officers deployed crowd‑control tactics including tear gas, smoke, and other non‑lethal measures to disperse the crowds as tensions escalated into confrontations.

City officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara, called for calm while also expressing concern about the impact of intensive federal immigration enforcement in the area. The city issued a statement demanding that ICE withdraw from Minneapolis and stand in solidarity with immigrant and refugee communities.

The unrest comes just one week after a previous fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, in which a 37‑year‑old woman, Renée Nicole Good, was killed during a separate enforcement operation — a case that has already fueled protests and political controversy.

Local leaders and protesters have criticised the federal immigration crackdown under the current U.S. administration, arguing that the presence and tactics of ICE have deepened mistrust and instability in Minneapolis.

By Khagan Isayev