Minneapolis, MN – Protests and related violence have been ongoing for some time in Minneapolis concerning immigration enforcement carried out by federal agents, as evidenced by the latest shooting this week involving a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who shot a Venezuelan national in the leg during a stop on the north side of Minneapolis on January 14, 2026, just a week after the fatal shooting of one Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Good died aged 37 years.
“The ICE officer opened fire after this individual, who was determined to be a Venezuelan national, ran from a traffic stop and assaulted him with a shovel and a broom handle, with two other suspects involvement in the attack. This individual was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, as was an ICE officer; two other suspects were arrested,” explained an announcement from DHS.
Background: Fatal Shooting of Renee Good and Larger Sense of Unrest
The recent flare-up is a response to the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and a resident of Minneapolis, by an ICE officer in a case that reignited a firestorm in the country on the matter of immigration enforcement and the use of force by federal authorities. Renee Good was shot in a dispute with ICE agents; she allegedly tried to drive at federal authorities, according to federal reports, although this account has been challenged.
Thousands have marched in Minneapolis, as well as across the country, within the week following Good’s death, in reaction to demands for accountability, reduced federal prosecution, and even a dissolution of ICE. Oscar-worthy rallies, walkouts, and vigils have been held in major cities, indicative of entrenched divisiveness across the country regarding immigration policies.
Political Response to Supreme Court Decision
However, this unrest is not only happening on the streets but also involves political and legal domains:
• There is a federal lawsuit filed by Minnesota, along with its major cities, against the Trump administration, claiming that “the massive presence of ICE and other federal immigration agents” is “a constitutional infringement, a federal invasion.”
• President Trump has threatened to declare the Insurrection Act in order to use the United States Military whenever the “don’t obey the law” in the wake of the current protests and unrest taking place in the country.
• local leaders such as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have issued statements repudiating both the use of deadly force by these federal law enforcement officials and rhetoric issued by federal leaders which they claim incites these disturbances.
During hearings this week, a federal judge refused to put a temporary stop to ICE activities while making further demands for evidence in the matter of implementing a restraining order upon the influx of immigrants.
Public Opinion and Community Reaction
Public reaction remains divided. “Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans believe that the killing of Good was an unjustified use of force, and that half of those polled believe that ICE policies are making America less safe.” However, it is pertinent to note that “immigrant advocacy organizations are encouraging people not to engage in violence when protesting, while at the same time increasing demands for greater accountabilities.”
In Minneapolis neighborhoods, the presence of thousands of federal law-enforcement personnel substantially outnumbers the city police force. Many Minneapolis residents have strongly criticized such activities for being disrupting, discriminative, and chaotic.