Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke out on Wednesday after a woman was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. According to The Mirror US, he criticized the Trump administration’s “reality TV” style of governance, which he said fuels “fear, headlines and conflict.”
“What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict,” Walz said. “It’s governing by reality TV.”
“And today, that recklessness cost someone their life,” he added, telling federal officials, “You’ve done enough.”
Walz added that Minnesota does not need “any further help from the federal government.”
Also Read: ‘Shame’: ICE agent fatally shoots woman amid immigration crackdown in US; protests erupt
Walz also urged Minnesotans to protest safely.
Local leaders demand accountability
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the officer’s actions and rejected the Department of Homeland Security’s version of events. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” Frey said, according to The Guardian. This was “an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
Democratic leaders in Minnesota called for ICE agents to leave the city and urged residents to remain calm.
The Minnesota Democratic Party wrote on X: “We are asking DHS to pull back their operation immediately until more info is available.”
Political commentator and former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann called the shooting “murder” and demanded arrests.
A DHS spokesperson said ICE agents were conducting a targeted operation when a woman allegedly “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the woman “attacked” ICE agents when their vehicles got stuck in snow.
Read More: Who was Renee Nicole Good? Minneapolis ICE shooting victim identified after new video emerges
President Donald Trump defended the officer on Truth Social. He described the woman as “disorderly, obstructing and resisting” and said the ICE officer acted in self-defense.
Republican lawmakers back ICE
Minnesota Republicans defended the ICE officer and broader immigration enforcement efforts. Representative Michelle Fischbach wrote on X that she “stands with the officer who acted in self-defense to save lives.”
Representative Tom Emmer added, “Our brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities from dangerous criminals.”