In a dramatic encounter in St. Paul, Minnesota, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent discharged their weapon on Sunday after a Cuban immigrant, residing illegally in the United States, allegedly struck the agent and another officer with an SUV. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the incident, highlighting the growing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in the region.

According to Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the confrontation escalated when the suspect attempted to flee on foot. As ICE agents worked to subdue him outside his apartment, the man reportedly bit one of the officers. Despite the altercation, the suspect was unharmed, and the injuries sustained by the agents were not life-threatening. All involved parties were transported to a hospital for evaluation.

The situation unfolded on Sunday morning, prompting a swift response from St. Paul police. Responding to reports of gunfire, they discovered that it was an ICE agent who had fired the shots during the altercation.

This incident occurs amidst increasing tensions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where federal immigration crackdowns have sparked conflict. Just last week, ICE agents faced off with protesters in nearby Minneapolis, underscoring the charged atmosphere surrounding immigration enforcement efforts.

McLaughlin noted that the Cuban immigrant in question arrived in the U.S. in 2024 through a program initiated by former President Joe Biden’s administration. This now-discontinued initiative permitted migrants without proper documentation to enter the country while their asylum claims were processed.

The incident occurred Sunday morning. St. Paul police said in a statement that they were called to the area by reports of shots being fired, only to learn that the ICE agent had fired the shots.

ICE agents saw the man getting into his SUV and approached the vehicle, McLaughlin said, identifying themselves as ICE agents. When the man refused to roll down his window, they told him that they would break it if he continued not to comply, she said.

The man drove off, striking one agent, and went to a parking lot of his apartment complex, where agents stopped him again and ordered him out of the SUV, McLaughlin said. He rammed his SUV into an ICE vehicle, striking the second agent, prompting the shots, which did not hit him, she said.

After ramming another ICE vehicle, the man got out of his SUV and attempted to flee into his apartment, but agents brought him to the ground, McLaughlin said.