Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel addressed a fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, where a 37-year-old woman was killed during an immigration operation. He displayed a T-shirt mocking former President Donald Trump and highlighted local backlash against federal agents. The incident has sparked debate over the use of force and immigration enforcement.
On Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot an unarmed 37-year-old woman during an operation in Minneapolis. Federal officials stated that the woman attempted to drive her car into the agent, prompting the shooting. Video footage shows agents approaching the vehicle: one tried to open the driver's door while another stood in front. As the woman began driving forward, shots were fired, and the agent appeared to be clipped by the car.
During his monologue, Jimmy Kimmel politicized the event, holding up a red T-shirt printed with "Donald J. Trump Is Gonna Kill You" and calling it the new slogan for MAGA supporters. He criticized Trump's social media response, which described the woman as acting in a "disorderly" manner and "obstructing and resisting." Kimmel remarked, "This maniac, he’s not just killing people overseas." Reviewing the video, he said, "It didn’t look like anybody got run over to me. It looked to me like a woman got scared, tried to drive away, and they shot her." He noted that the courts would decide the matter.
Kimmel also played a clip of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, telling ICE to "get the f*ck out" of the city, and echoed the sentiment by suggesting T-shirts with that phrase. Schools in Minneapolis closed on Thursday and Friday due to safety concerns amid the tension.
The shooting has divided opinions. Left-leaning figures, including Kimmel, question the justification of the killing, while conservatives defend the agent's actions. Vice President JD Vance posted on X: "The gaslighting is off the charts and I’m having none of it. This guy was doing his job." He added, "A tragedy? Absolutely. But a tragedy that falls on this woman and all of the radicals who teach people that immigration is the one type of law that rioters are allowed to interfere with."