Washington, 8 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) – A woman was shot dead by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an operation in the US state of Minnesota, authorities said on Wednesday.

Police said the 37-year-old woman was in her vehicle blocking a road in the city of Minneapolis when an ICE officer approached on foot. The car then began to move, after which at least two shots were fired.

The woman reportedly sustained a head injury and was pronounced dead in hospital.

Investigations into the incident are under way. Police said the woman was believed to be white and that, based on current information, there was no indication she had been a target of the authorities.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on X that ICE officers had been conducting targeted operations when "rioters began blocking ICE officers," adding that the woman had "weaponized her vehicle" and attempted to run over officers.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the shooting at a news conference in Texas as a defensive use of firearms to protect officers and bystanders.

US President Donald Trump later defended the ICE officer involved in the shooting, saying video footage suggested the incident was an act of self-defence.

"The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense," Trump wrote.

He blamed what he described as a "Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate" for escalating tensions and accused it of targeting law enforcement officers.

Minneapolis officials disputed the description given by authorities. Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey said the situation had been escalated, rejected claims of self-defence as "bullshit" and urged ICE agents to leave the city.

Photo: epa