Third Federal Shooting in Minneapolis Escalates Trump Crackdown Backlash

Another person is dead in Minneapolis, shot by federal agents in the third such incident this month. The pattern is becoming impossible to ignore.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke to the White House on Saturday after what he called a "horrific shooting," demanding an end to the federal operation that has flooded his state's largest city with immigration enforcement officers. "Minnesota has had it. This is sickening," Walz wrote on social media. "Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now."

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a person who "had a handgun and resisted attempts to be disarmed." Social media footage showed multiple federal law enforcement officers wrestling someone to the ground before several gunshots rang out.

Three Weeks, Three Shootings

This latest killing follows the shooting death of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer earlier this month, and the shooting of a Venezuelan man by federal agents last week.

The escalating violence comes as President Trump deploys federal immigration officers to cities across the country as part of what his administration calls "the largest deportation operation in the country's history." But what was supposed to be targeted enforcement is increasingly looking like an occupation to local residents and officials.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat representing Minnesota, didn't mince words: "To the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress who have stood silent: Get ICE out of our state NOW."

Federal Power vs. Local Resistance

The confrontation in Minneapolis represents more than just immigration policy—it's a fundamental clash over who controls American streets. Trump's federal agents operate with broad authority and military-style equipment, while local officials argue they're responsible for keeping their communities safe.

Protesters gathered near Saturday's shooting scene, where tear gas clouds drifted through the air amid heavy security. On Friday, thousands had marched through Minneapolis streets denouncing the federal crackdown, while hundreds of local businesses participated in a general strike.

The city urged residents "to remain calm and avoid the immediate area" as it worked to gather details about the latest shooting—a request that highlights how routine these incidents have become.

Echoes of 2020

Reporting from Washington, Al Jazeera'sHeidi Zhou-Castro described Minneapolis as a "tinder-box," noting the "head-to-head between Trump and his federal authorities, and local and state authorities in Minnesota." This fight has been brewing since mass protests erupted in Minneapolis after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

The parallels are stark: then, as now, Minneapolis became ground zero for a national conversation about law enforcement, federal power, and community safety. The difference is that this time, it's federal agents, not local police, pulling the triggers.