Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez (D‑N.Y.) sharply condemned the federal law‑enforcement shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday, framing the incident as part of a broader assault on constitutional rights and calling for urgent action from Democratic lawmakers.
“Americans are being killed in the street by their government. Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving. Resist,” Ocasio‑Cortez wrote in a social media post responding to the latest fatal encounter between federal agents and a Minneapolis man.
Americans are being killed in the street by their government. Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving. Resist.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 24, 2026
Senate Dems should block ICE funding this week. Activate the National Guard.
We can and must stop this.
She urged congressional Democrats to take immediate legislative action: “Senate Dems should block ICE funding this week. Activate the National Guard. We can and must stop this.”
The shooting occurred at around 9:05 a.m. local time during a targeted Homeland Security operation in Minneapolis, intended to apprehend an individual believed to be wanted for violent assault. According to a Department of Homeland Security statement, Border Patrol agents attempted to disarm a suspect armed with a 9 mm handgun and two magazines, and an agent fired defensive shots when the individual “violently resisted,” killing him at the scene. Medics were called, but the suspect was pronounced dead.
Video and reports from the scene showed a struggle between the man and officers in snowy conditions before gunfire erupted. The 37‑year‑old victim was later identified by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara as a U.S. citizen and lawful gun owner with no criminal record.
#Internacional 🤬 Más de 6 agentes de ICE forcejearon con un hombre para someterlo, en calles de Mineápolis, Minesota, al no conseguirlo le disparan en repetidas ocasiones, la persona falleció en el lugar. pic.twitter.com/F1GrHGUnSE
— Callejero Noticias (@CallejeroPue) January 24, 2026
Shortly after the shooting, a crowd gathered and clashed with federal agents, prompting the deployment of crowd control measures as tensions flared in the city.
Ocasio‑Cortez’s remarks echo broader criticism from progressive lawmakers and activists who argue that the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis has gone beyond lawful policing and endangered public safety. Earlier this month, another federal agent shot and killed Renée Nicole Good, a 37‑year‑old Minneapolis woman, during an ICE operation, sparking mass protests and renewed calls for accountability.
Ocasio‑Cortez framed the latest shooting as symptomatic of what she described as the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants and communities of color: “Our Constitution is being shredded and our rights are dissolving,” she said, urging stronger oversight of immigration agencies.
Her call to block funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to deploy the National Guard reflects a broader push from some Democrats for legislative and executive responses to federal enforcement tactics that critics say have exacerbated unrest in the Twin Cities.
The shooting continues to be investigated by local and federal authorities, and Ocasio‑Cortez’s statement adds to a fractious national debate over the role of federal law enforcement in local jurisdictions and the balance between public safety and civil rights.
