New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sharply condemned federal immigration enforcement and renewed his call to dismantle U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal agents fatally shot a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, a development that has intensified nationwide protests against the agency.
Federal law enforcement officers shot and killed a 37-year-old man during an operation in Minneapolis, marking the third shooting involving federal agents in the city in recent weeks.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara confirmed the man's death, saying the circumstances were under review. Federal officials said agents fired defensive shots after the individual approached them with a firearm, though video circulating on social media has raised questions about the account.
In reaction, Mamdani said the latest incident underscores what he called "the violence that ICE sows with impunity," framing the agency as a threat to public safety rather than a protector of it.
"ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE," Mamdani said in a post on X.
The Minneapolis shooting comes amid a sustained wave of protests sparked by an earlier fatal encounter on Jan. 7, when an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, during a federal enforcement operation.
That earlier killing drew widespread outrage and protests in Minneapolis and beyond, with local officials and activists criticizing federal tactics and demanding accountability.
Saturday's shooting rapidly drew national attention.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described the pattern of federal actions as detrimental to community trust and urged a thorough state-led investigation, stressing that local authorities should have oversight.
Other Democrat lawmakers amplified criticism, calling for ICE to withdraw from Minneapolis and questioning the federal enforcement strategy.
The Minneapolis incident has also reinvigorated debate around federal immigration enforcement policy, with critics asserting that ICE's operational methods escalate tensions rather than enhance public safety.
Supporters of robust federal enforcement argue that agents must be able to defend themselves during dangerous operations, a point underscored by federal officials in their initial descriptions of Saturday's encounter.
Protests continued through frigid temperatures, with demonstrators chanting "ICE out now" and authorities deploying crowd-control measures.
The clashes reflect broader national divisions over immigration enforcement, federal authority, and community safety. As Mamdani and other leaders call for abolition, the debate over ICE's role in American cities remains deeply contentious.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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