Minneapolis ICE shooting live updates: Officer identified through court records
Vice President JD Vance defended the actions of the ICE officer who shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, expressing visible frustration over what he said is a characterization of the agent as a “federal killer,” in remarks during a White House news conference.
He called the woman’s actions an “attack on federal law enforcement” and an “attack on the American people,” stating that “she was trying to hit this guy with her car.”
“He responded. He defended himself,” Vance said of the ICE officer.
“The reason this woman is dead is because she tried to hit someone with her car and that guy acted in self-defense,” Vance said. “That’s why he lost his life and that’s the tragedy.”
Vice President JD Vance speaks during a briefing at the White House, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
At the same time, Vance said what was going through the 37-year-old driver’s mind at the time is up for debate.
“Look, if people want to say we should have a legitimate debate about, you know, what was she really doing? Right? Was she panicking when she ran over this officer, or was she actually trying to ram him? That’s a reasonable conversation,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s in a person’s heart or head and obviously we’re not going to have the opportunity to ask this woman what was going on. What I’m sure of is that she broke the law,” he said.
Vance also claimed, without providing evidence, that the shooting victim was part of a “left-wing network” that targeted ICE agents.
When asked by ABC News’ Rachel Scott who is behind that alleged network, he said: “It’s one of the things we’re going to have to figure out.
