In its initial statement about the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said “an illegal alien from Venezuela” was targeted for a traffic stop and resisted arrest. There has been a national backlash against aggressive immigration operations in the US and a drop in President Donald Trump's approval ratings. The shooting of Sosa-Celis came one week after a federal agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three, which had inflamed protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration raids in the Midwestern city. A second killing of a US citizen in late January fuelled national backlash against the aggressive and highly politicised Minneapolis crackdown. Tom Homan, Trump’s immigration enforcement chief, announced on Thursday the administration was winding down its aggressive immigration operation in Minnesota.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 14, 2026 05:38 UTC