The ICE Shooting Came During an Operation Focused on Somali Immigrants
“Federal immigration officials have stepped up enforcement activity in Minnesota amid a fraud scandal there that includes many people of Somali origin.
One day before a federal agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, federal immigration officers described their presence in Minnesota as the “largest operation to date.”
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement effort there is part of a broader immigration crackdown that has swept cities across the country since President Trump began his second term with a pledge to deport millions of people.
The actions in Minnesota have targeted undocumented immigrants, as in other cities, but focused on Somalis in particular. The state is home to the largest diaspora of Somalis in the world. Roughly 80,000 people of Somali ancestry reside there, but the vast majority of them are American citizens or legal permanent residents.
Federal authorities said this week they would increase their presence in the Minneapolis region, with about 2,000 federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security expected to participate.
“If you’re a criminal illegal alien and/or you are engaged in fraud, expect a visit from ICE,” the agency said Tuesday in a post on X.
The original immigration enforcement operation, which began in early December, focused on Somalis with final deportation orders. That group had become aparticular focus for Mr. Trump, who has railed against a federal fraud scheme that has implicated a pocket of Somali Americans in Minnesota.
More than 90 people have been charged with felonies in the federal fraud cases, which center on what prosecutors say was a misuse of funds allocated for the state’s social safety net programs. Dozens have been convicted. Most of the people prosecuted are of Somali origin. They have been accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars by billing the government for services, like child care and health care, that went undelivered.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.“
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“Here is a current summary of Minnesota’s statutory framework for homicide offenses under the Minnesota Criminal Code (Chapter 609). Minnesota does not use the term “homicide statute” as a single definition, but the law defines several distinct offenses that fall under the general category of criminal homicide: murder, manslaughter, and criminal vehicular homicide.
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1. Statutory Structure
Minnesota places various degrees of homicide offenses in Chapter 609 of the Minnesota Statutes under the heading “Homicide; Bodily Harm; Suicide.” These include:
• Murder in the first, second, and third degrees
• Manslaughter in the first and second degrees
• Criminal vehicular homicide
• (Separate provisions address homicide of an unborn child)
Section 609.18 defines “premeditation” only for the murder statutes, indicating it means to plan or prepare the act before its commission.
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2. Murder
Murder in the First Degree (Most Serious)
A person is guilty of first-degree murder if they cause the death of a human being under circumstances including, but not limited to:
• Killing with premeditation and intent to effect death;
• Causing death while committing certain violent felonies (e.g., sexual assault, burglary, aggravated robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, arson, drive-by shooting, escape from custody);
• Causing the death of a peace officer, judge, prosecutor, or correctional guard while the victim is performing official duties;
• Causing death under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life (e.g., child abuse or domestic abuse patterns).
A conviction carries life imprisonment.
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Murder in the Second Degree
Second-degree murder includes:
1. Intentional second-degree murder:
Causing the death of a human being with intent but without premeditation.
2. Unintentional second-degree murder:
Causing a death without intent while committing or attempting to commit a felony (felony-murder rule).
The maximum penalty is up to 40 years’ imprisonment.
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Murder in the Third Degree
A person is guilty of third-degree murder if they:
• Without intent to cause death, cause another’s death by an act that is eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life; or
• Without intent to cause death, proximately cause death through the unlawful sale or distribution of a Schedule I or II controlled substance.
Maximum punishment is up to 25 years’ imprisonment (and potentially fines where applicable).
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3. Manslaughter
Manslaughter in the First Degree
A person may be guilty of first-degree manslaughter when they:
• Intentionally cause another’s death in the heat of passion provoked by the victim’s words or acts;
• Cause death while committing or attempting a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor where death was reasonably foreseeable and murder is not committed;
• Intentionally cause death because they reasonably believe death was necessary to prevent imminent death to themselves or another;
• Cause death through certain controlled substance sales or malicious punishment of a child, where murder is not committed.
First-degree manslaughter carries up to 15 years’ imprisonment and/or fines.
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Manslaughter in the Second Degree
Second-degree manslaughter applies where a person causes another’s death by:
• Culpable negligence (creating unreasonable risk and consciously taking chances of causing death or great bodily harm);
• Negligently shooting someone believing them to be an animal;
• Setting dangerous traps or devices;
• Failing to confine a known vicious animal;
• Committing or attempting child neglect/endangerment offenses where murder/third-degree murder does not apply.
Second-degree manslaughter carries up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or fines.
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4. Criminal Vehicular Homicide
Under Minnesota statute, criminal vehicular homicide is a distinct offense applied when a person:
• Causes the death of a human being not constituting murder or manslaughter through operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner; or
• Operates a vehicle negligently while under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, cannabis or similar intoxicants; or
• Has a specified blood alcohol concentration (e.g., 0.08 or above) at the time of driving.
The penalty may be up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or fines.
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5. Additional Notes
• Minnesota’s statutes do not include a specific standalone “homicide definition” in § 609.18 beyond defining premeditation; homicide generally refers to all forms of killing, criminal and non-criminal, but the statutes specify degrees and elements for criminal offenses.
• In addition to these, Minnesota law separately criminalizes homicide of an unborn child and includes related provisions in other sections of Chapter 609 (not covered here).
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