Trump Defends Minneapolis ICE Agent, Claims He 'Shot Her in Self Defense' Whilst 'MAKING AMERICA SAFE'

President Donald Trump has publicly defended the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who fatally shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, claiming the agent fired in self-defence after being struck by her vehicle.

The incident, which occurred less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed, has sparked protests across the city and intensified debate over the administration's immigration enforcement tactics.​

Trump Says ICE Agent 'Lucky to Be Alive' After Vehicle Strike

The president posted a statement on Truth Social alongside video footage of the shooting, describing the driver as 'very disorderly, obstructing and resisting' before she 'violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer'.

Trump said the agent, now hospitalised, 'seems to have shot her in self-defence' and characterised his survival as fortunate. 'It is hard to believe he is still alive, but is now recovering in the hospital', the president wrote, though the exact nature of the agent's injuries remains unclear.​

'MAKING AMERICA SAFE': Trump Blames Radical Left for Violence

Trump directed his criticism towards political opponents, claiming 'the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis'.

He framed the enforcement operations as efforts at 'MAKING AMERICA SAFE' and called for support of law enforcement against what he termed a 'Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate'. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed this position, describing the incident as an 'act of domestic terrorism' carried out by someone who 'attempted to run [ICE officers] over and rammed them with her vehicle'.​

Minneapolis Officials Dispute Self-Defence Claims

Local authorities have sharply contested the federal government's account. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who reviewed video footage of the shooting, bluntly rejected the self-defence narrative: 'Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit'.​

Videos show an ICE officer approaching an SUV stopped in the roadway before a second officer standing in front of the vehicle fired at least two shots at close range as it began moving forward. The woman was struck in the head and later pronounced dead at Hennepin Healthcare, whilst large protests erupted near the scene.​

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said there was 'nothing to indicate that this woman was the target of any law enforcement investigation'. He noted the shooting occurred during broader immigration operations in the city.​