The US Homeland Security secretary said Thursday she is open to deploying additional federal agents to Minnesota following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, which has drawn outrage.
"We've got thousands of officers there, and I'm not opposed to sending more if necessary to keep people safe," Kristi Noem told reporters at a press conference in New York City.
The Trump administration has already deployed nearly 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota in an ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigration. Amid widespread public opposition, the mayor of Minneapolis, the city where the fatal shooting took place, has called strongly on ICE to "get out" of his city, using an expletive.
Minnesotans opposed to ICE's presence, including local officials, say the agents are making the state more dangerous, not safer, and are not wanted.
Noem defended the ICE officer's actions in Wednesday's shooting, suggesting he followed his training when surrounded and assaulted by protesters while trying to help free a stuck vehicle from snow. Analysis of video of the incident has been cited by local officials as contradicting ICE's account of the incident.
She repeated her claim that the "experienced officer" acted according to procedures. "We'll continue to allow this process to unfold," she said.
The woman shot dead was identified as Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, according to Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith.
US President Donald Trump and other US officials claim the shooting was a defensive act to stop the woman from running over agents. However, witnesses, video footage, and statements from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have cast doubt on that account, suggesting Good was attempting to flee rather than intentionally harm officers.
Separately, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced the state agency is "reluctantly" withdrawing from the investigation after the US Attorney's Office reversed course and granted the FBI sole leadership.
"Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands," the bureau said in a statement.
Some observers have questioned if the incident will get a fair hearing under Trump's FBI, which they say has become politicized.
Separately, Noem announced results from Operation Salvo in New York City, which has arrested 54 individuals since its inception months ago following an attack on an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent by members of the Trinitarios gang.
"Those arrested are violent transnational gang members and affiliates associated with Trinitarios who are responsible for weapons trafficking, for human smuggling, for narcotics distribution and for armed robberies," she said.
More than 60% of those arrested have been returned to their home countries to face justice, Noem added, calling Operation Salvo "just the beginning of a broader and a much more sustained effort" against transnational criminal organizations.
In newly aggressive tactics under the Trump administration, ICE has been accused of sweeping up undocumented migrants accused of gang membership under flimsy or nonexistent evidence. Hundreds were flown to jails abroad without any opportunity to dispute the allegations against them in a court of law, breaking with US rules requiring due process for those accused of crimes.
