Democratic officials across Minnesota are demanding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately halt its operations in the state after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man during a confrontation in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:05 a.m. local time during what the Department of Homeland Security described in a statement on X as a targeted enforcement action. According to Western Journal, the shooting, which followed a reported scuffle, triggered a wave of denunciations from Democrats at every level of government, many of whom blamed President Donald Trump and called for federal immigration authorities to leave Minnesota altogether.
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a leading progressive voice in the state, quickly escalated the rhetoric, characterizing the shooting in the harshest possible terms. This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement, Omar claimed in a post to X, adding, I am absolutely heartbroken, horrified, and appalled that federal agents murdered another member of our community. It is beyond shameful these federal agents are targeting our residents instead of protecting them.
Rep. Angie Craig, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, also seized on the incident to condemn ICE and press Republicans to join the outcry. Ive seen with my own eyes the video of another horrific killing by ICE agents this morning in Minneapolis. This is sickening, Craig posted, continuing, The agency is beyond out of control. How much more evidence do my Republican colleagues in Minnesota need to speak out?
Other Democrats in the state followed suit on social media, not only criticizing the shooting but demanding that ICE and related federal agents withdraw from Minnesota. Their reaction underscored a broader pattern on the left of vilifying immigration enforcement, even as federal authorities attempt to address serious criminal and fraud concerns tied to illegal immigration.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has long cultivated a centrist image nationally, joined the chorus by publicly rebuking the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. There has been another shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis and I am working to get more information. I will update as soon as possible, Klobuchar posted, before adding, To the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress who have stood silent: Get ICE out of our state NOW.
In a follow-up post, Klobuchar escalated her criticism and portrayed the federal operation as a sweeping assault on the community. Donald Trump and all your lieutenants who ordered this ICE surge: watch the horrific video of the killing today. The world is watching, she wrote, continuing, Thousands of citizens stopped and harassed. Local police no longer able to do their work. Kids hiding. Schools closed. Get ICE out of Minnesota NOW. And Republicans in Congress: Stop your silence and stop being complicit.
The federal surge into the Minneapolis area reportedly focused on illegal immigrants from Somalia, following revelations of massive fraud in Minnesotas welfare system. Investigations have uncovered more than $9 billion in allegedly fraudulent spending, with whistleblowers in states such as Maine and Ohio alleging similar schemes involving Somali scammers, and over 500 day care centers under scrutiny in Washington state.
Despite the scale of the alleged fraud and the clear federal interest in enforcing immigration and financial laws, Minnesotas top Democrats have largely framed the operation as an illegitimate intrusion. Klobuchars colleague, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, echoed the demand for ICE to leave, aligning herself with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in pressing for an immediate halt to federal enforcement.
Another catastrophic shooting in Minneapolis by federal agents, Smith said, as she insisted that local authorities should take control of the situation. We are gathering more information, but ICE must leave now so MPD can secure the scene and do their jobs.
Gov. Walz, who has frequently clashed with federal authorities, claimed to have raised the matter directly with the White House and portrayed the agents as a threat to public safety. I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening, Walz said, adding, The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation, leaving key details about the confrontation and the suspects actions unaddressed. Nonetheless, leading Democrats moved swiftly to assign blame and to demand that federal law enforcement stand down, even before a full investigation could be conducted.
Walz went further by insisting that the federal government should not lead the inquiry into the shooting, accusing federal agents in advance of undermining accountability. He argued that state authorities alone should be entrusted with the investigation, suggesting that federal involvement would taint the process.
I told the White House the state must lead the investigation. Let state investigators secure justice, Walz asserted, urging calm while simultaneously calling for federal agents to be sidelined. As we process the scene, stay peaceful and give them space. The State has the personnel to keep people safe federal agents must not obstruct our ability to do so.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, another Democrat who has often favored a softer approach to law enforcement, also used a Saturday afternoon news conference to demand an end to immigration enforcement operations in the city and the state. His remarks framed the presence of federal agents as the primary obstacle to restoring order and safety.
End this operation and, Im telling you, our city will come back, Frey said, directly addressing Trump and placing responsibility for local security on the removal of federal officers. Safety will be restored, were asking for you to take action now to remove these federal agents.
While Democrats portray the federal surge as an oppressive campaign against our residents, conservatives argue that the operation reflects a necessary response to systemic fraud and illegal immigration that drain public resources and endanger communities.
The unanswered questions surrounding the shooting, including the suspects conduct and the precise circumstances of the scuffle, have not stopped Minnesotas Democratic leadership from demanding that ICE and Border Patrol agents withdraw, even as billions in alleged welfare fraud and multi-state criminal schemes remain under investigation.
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