Tensions Rise as Federal Officer Shoots Man During Immigration Arrest in Minneapolis

A federal officer shot a man in the leg during an attempted arrest in Minneapolis on Wednesday, triggering renewed clashes between immigration agents and protesters in a city already tense from weeks of immigration enforcement operations.

Smoke filled the street near the shooting site as federal officers in gas masks and helmets fired tear gas and grenades into a small crowd of protesters who responded by throwing snowballs and chanting, “Our streets.” The incident marks the latest escalation in a city that has seen repeated confrontations since an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good on January 7.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the incident began when federal law enforcement officers stopped a person from Venezuela who was in the United States illegally. The person drove away, crashed into a parked car, and fled on foot. After officers caught up with the individual, two others emerged from a nearby apartment and all three allegedly attacked the officer.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said in a statement posted on X. The two people who came from the apartment have been taken into custody.

Minneapolis city officials confirmed that the man who was shot was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. In a public statement, the city acknowledged the community’s anger but urged calm.

Legal Challenges Mount

Earlier Wednesday, a federal judge gave the Trump administration until Monday to respond to a request to suspend its immigration operations in Minnesota. During the first hearing in a lawsuit filed by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter emphasized the need for de-escalation.

“What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered,” Carter told U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez, who promised to keep the case “on the front burner.”

The lawsuit contends that the federal government is violating free speech and other constitutional rights through its aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. Judge Menendez acknowledged these are “grave and important matters” with few legal precedents to guide decision-making.

A separate lawsuit challenging the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal officers when confronting protesters and observers is also before the court, with a ruling expected this week.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in a televised address Wednesday evening, described the state as being in chaos. “Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” Walz said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”

Military Lawyers Called In

In an unprecedented move, the Department of Defense is preparing to send military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist with immigration operations. According to reports, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is requesting 40 judge advocate general officers (JAGs) from various military branches, with 25 of them to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys in Minneapolis.

Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson appeared to confirm the reports by sharing a news story on X with a comment that the military “is proud to support” the Justice Department. This follows a similar deployment of 20 military lawyers to Memphis last week.

Mark Nevitt, an associate professor at Emory University School of Law and former Navy JAG, expressed concern about diverting legal resources from the military justice system. “There are not many JAGs but there are over one million members of the military, and they all need legal support,” he noted.

New Details in Good Shooting

A Homeland Security official speaking on condition of anonymity revealed that Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who killed Renee Good on January 7, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter. The official did not provide details about the severity of the injuries or how they were sustained.

Good was killed after ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy Minneapolis street. Bystander video shows an officer ordering Good to open her door and grabbing the handle. As her vehicle began moving forward, Ross, who was standing in front, fired at least three shots at close range.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has maintained that Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon—claims that Minnesota officials have strongly disputed.

Good’s family has retained Romanucci & Blandin, the law firm that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with Minneapolis. The firm stated that Good was following orders to move her car when she was shot and promised to conduct an independent investigation.

“They do not want her used as a political pawn,” the firm said of Good’s family, “but rather as an agent of peace for all.”

As tensions continue to escalate, hundreds of teenagers in St. Paul left school on Wednesday to march to the state Capitol in freezing temperatures, carrying signs with messages like “Love Melts ICE” and “DE-ICE MN.”

Meanwhile, the University of Minnesota informed its 50,000-plus students that online options may be available for some classes when the new term begins next week, acknowledging that “violence and protests have come to our doorstep.”