A federal officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday, as the Trump administration intensified a crackdown on illegal immigration. Details of the shooting remained unclear, with conflicting accounts from local and federal officials.

Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said in a statement that an agent had opened fire after a woman “weaponized her vehicle” in an attempt to kill federal officers. Mayor Jacob Frey called her account “bullshit” in a news conference, describing the shooting instead as “an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”

Chief Brian O’Hara of the Minneapolis Police Department said there was “nothing to indicate that this woman was the target of any law enforcement investigation or activity.” He said she appeared to be using her car to block a street where immigration enforcement agents were present.

Here Are the Details:

— Victim unidentified: City officials in their news conference did not name the woman who was killed, though Frey cited her age. Federal authorities have also not released her identity. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat whose congressional district includes the shooting scene, described the person as a “legal observer.”

— Calls for calm: Several of the state’s top Democrats called on federal immigration agents to leave the city, accusing them of sowing chaos. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota asked people to remain calm.

— Federal crackdown: About 2,000 federal agents were expected to take part in the immigration enforcement operation, which could last for weeks, according to the Trump administration. Federal officials have framed the crackdown as a response to illegal immigration and widespread fraud in state social service systems.

— Immigration shootings: Federal agents enforcing immigration laws have been involved in several shootings in recent months, including in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas. At least 10 such shootings have been reported by news outlets since President Donald Trump returned to office.

— Protesters gather: Hundreds of people gathered at the scene of the fatal shooting, chanting for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to leave. The shooting took place in a middle-class residential neighborhood in Minneapolis, about a mile from the place where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Julie Bosman, Mitch Smith and Dan Simmons/David Guttenfelder
c. 2026 The New York Times Company