Vice President JD Vance said that the ICE officer was clearly firing at the driver in self-defense.
Attorney General Pam Bondi warned on Jan. 8 that protesters responding to the shooting death of a woman in Minneapolis or demonstrating against the immigration operation in Minnesota should not “cross that red line.”
A day earlier, a viral video showed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shooting at a woman inside a vehicle as it drove towards the official during a traffic stop in Minneapolis, prompting outrage among some local Democratic leaders and leading to demonstrations.
“MINNESOTA: Peacefully protesting is a sacred American right protected by the First Amendment,” Bondi wrote on X.
MINNESOTA:
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 8, 2026
Peacefully protesting is a sacred American right protected by the First Amendment.
Obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement is a federal crime. So is damaging federal property.
If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Do…
“Obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement is a federal crime. So is damaging federal property. If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Do not test our resolve.”
Footage shows an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot vehicle begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
It is unclear from the videos whether the vehicle makes contact with the officer. After the shooting, the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.
In response to the shooting, Vice President JD Vance said that the ICE officer was justified in shooting the woman, and he’s not worried about prejudging an investigation that is just getting underway. The officer, he added, was clearly firing at the driver in self-defense.
During remarks in the White House press briefing room on Thursday afternoon, the vice president criticized some news media outlets for their coverage of the incident, saying that the way the shooting is being framed “puts our law enforcement officers at risk.”
“This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people,” Vance said, maintaining it has not been portrayed that way by many journalists. The ICE officer who fired at the woman was previously injured in a car attack, the vice president said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on multiple occasions last year, has said that attacks targeting ICE and other immigration agents are up 1,000 percent year-over-year as the Trump administration pursues its policy of deporting large numbers of illegal immigrants.
