Following a Minnesota protest that turned deadly, a network of activists quickly mobilized across the nation, advocating for various causes such as communism and climate change. The incident involved a protester who was fatally shot after reportedly trying to run over ICE agents.
The woman, who remains unidentified, was 37 years old, according to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. She was killed in her car shortly after 11 a.m. ET. Federal officials stated that she attempted to drive into ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-member team deployed to the Twin Cities for the purpose of detaining and deporting individuals identified as illegal immigrant criminals.
In response to the incident, President Trump took to Truth Social, expressing his reaction: “I just watched the footage from Minneapolis, and it was distressing. The woman was clearly a professional agitator, and the driver behaved in a disruptive manner, obstructing and resisting law enforcement, before violently attempting to run over an ICE officer, who seemingly acted in self-defense by shooting her.”
Various organizations swiftly shared anti-ICE sentiments on social media platforms soon after the shooting. These included groups like Minnesota 50501, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Refuse Fascism, who all voiced their opposition.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed that the woman suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was later pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.
In a matter of hours, an array of groups, ranging from those supporting socialism and communism to climate change and Palestinian rights, along with Democratic Party advocates, orchestrated what appeared to be coordinated protests both online and on the streets. This rapid response mirrored recent demonstrations that erupted following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, with many of the same organizations rallying for action.
“It’s the same network of people that have thousands of Americans blocking the streets, waving communist and terrorist flags and attacking law enforcement and innocents,” said Brandy Shufutinsky, director of the Education and National Security Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “They are stoking the grievance industry that they built.”
Members of law enforcement work the scene following a suspected shooting by an ICE agent during federal operations on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty)
While authorities said an investigation was underway, the protest groups were quick to brand the killing a murder. A sentiment analysis of relevant social media posts by left-wing groups showed the graphic and emotional language used in the posts was designed to provoke moral outrage and mobilize people to take to the streets. For example, posts told people to “get in the streets now,” “hit the streets” and “get to the White House ASAP.”
“The state is the enemy, the state is the murderer! Resistance is justified,” wrote Fight for a Future, an organization who openly advocates communism.
At 1:24 p.m., the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, a fixture in left-wing protests, announced an “emergency rally” in New York City’s Foley Square for Thursday. The rally was also promoted by a group dubbing itself “NYC ICE Watch.”
Indivisible, the Democratic Party-aligned nonprofit and PAC that was at the forefront of protests against Tesla and the Trump administration, shared a picture on Instagram of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency oversees ICE, with two Xs over eyes, a symbol often used to portray someone as dead.
“Kristi Noem get the f*ck out of NYC right now,” the post read in both English and Spanish. The post was shared by 50501, a newly established organization that played a lead role in the #NoKings protest against President Trump.
“EMERGENCY ALERT. THIS IS AN ALL HANDS ON DECK MOMENT!” wrote 50551 on Instagram at 11:50 a.m.
Indivisible’s post echoed the language of Frey, who had moments earlier called on ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis.”
At 2:44 p.m., Refuse Fascism, a socialist organization active in protests against Israel and the Trump administration, posted a message on Instagram decrying the incident.
“From Venezuela to the streets of Minneapolis, the trump [sic] regime murders and demonizes whole peoples and countries without any pretense of the rule of law,” the group wrote.
At 3:33 p.m., the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Columbus, Ohio, called for an “emergency protest from Columbus to Minneapolis.”
“ICE out! ICE has murdered a legal observer in Minneapolis,” the Instagram post read. “We fight back!”
At 3:06 p.m., the Palestinian Youth Movement, which organized campus protests following the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis by Hamas, weighed in.
“The time is rise and resist is now (sic),” the group posted on Instagram.
