Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Wednesday that the state’s National Guard is on standby, ready to intervene if needed, following the fatal shooting of a woman during a federal immigration operation. He emphasized, “We’ve never been at war with our federal government.”
In a press briefing, Walz revealed that he had issued a warning order to the National Guard. This step is a preliminary measure to increase readiness in case the troops need to be mobilized, due to the heightened tensions after the incident on Wednesday.
“We are preparing the National Guard,” Walz stated. “They are ready to be deployed if necessary.”
Law enforcement officers were seen at the site of the incident, which involved a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Governor Walz explained that the warning order to the National Guard was a precautionary measure. (Stephen Maturen/Getty)
The atmosphere in Minneapolis grew uneasy following the shooting of a 37-year-old woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, while she was inside her vehicle.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were executing an enforcement operation when their vehicle became immobilized in the snow.
As they were attempting to push the vehicle, she said a woman “attacked them and those surrounding them” and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, calling him “seriously r——d” and accusing him of failing to address crime and immigration concerns in the state. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images and Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
A federal law enforcement officer fired and shot the woman, who crashed into a nearby parked vehicle.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. DHS told Fox News that the ICE agent who fired shots in Minneapolis on Wednesday had previously been injured in a prior altercation.
DHS officials said that while working in the city last June, the agent had been dragged by a car in a separate incident.
Walz noted that the National Guard were residents of the state and not being bused in from elsewhere.
“Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight,” he said. “We will not take the bait.”
