A U.S. immigration officer shot a Venezuelan man in the leg Wednesday evening in north Minneapolis during an attempted arrest, authorities said, marking another violent encounter in the city amid a wider federal immigration enforcement operation.
The incident occurred about 6:50 p.m. local time as federal officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. The man, whom DHS said was in the country illegally, drove off and crashed into a parked car before fleeing on foot, the statement said.
As officers pursued him, the man resisted and began to assault an agent, according to DHS. Two other people emerged from a nearby apartment and joined the struggle, attacking the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle. Fearing for his safety, the immigration officer fired once, striking the man in the leg, DHS said.
All three were taken into custody, and both the immigration officer and the wounded man were treated at a hospital, DHS said. The man’s injuries were described as non‑life‑threatening, and the officer was expected to recover.
City officials acknowledged they were aware of the shooting but urged calm as details continued to emerge. A crowd gathered near the scene, and law enforcement personnel wearing gas masks used tear gas to disperse protesters, according to local reports.
The shooting comes roughly one week after another federal immigration agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, an incident that has fueled protests and legal challenges to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed additional officers to the state as part of the operation, prompting criticism from local leaders who say the presence of federal agents has heightened tensions and sometimes led to confrontations with residents.
