Protesters take to streets across US after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland

A protester holds up a sign saying ‘Ice out’ (Adam Gray/AP)

Protesters against immigration enforcement have taken to the streets in cities and towns across the US after one federal officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.

The demonstrations come as the US Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation.

Donald Trump’s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defence against drivers who “weaponised” their vehicles to attack officers.

The killing of Renee Good has sparked an outcry across the US and the wider world (AP)

Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to get out of his comfort zone and attend a protest on Saturday in Durham, North Carolina, because of what he called the “horrifying” killing in Minneapolis.

“We can’t allow it,” Mr Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”

Indivisible, a social movement organisation that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states.

Renee Good was fatally shot by an Ice officer in Minneapolis (AP)

Many were dubbed “Ice Out for Good” using the acronym for the federal agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Indivisible and its local chapters organised protests in all 50 states last year.

In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space about half a mile from the residential neighbourhood where 37-year-old Renee Good was shot on Wednesday.

They said the rally and march would celebrate Ms Good’s life and call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets”.

Protesters have been calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis (AP)

Protests held in the neighbourhood have so far been largely peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as people threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference on Saturday.

One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, Mr O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he added.

Protests have so far been largely peaceful (AP)

Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested.

Three congresswomen from Minnesota attempted to tour the Ice facility in the Minneapolis federal building on Saturday morning and were initially allowed to enter but then told they had to leave about 10 minutes later.

US representatives Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig accused Ice agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.

“They do not care that they are violating federal law,” Ms Craig said after being turned away.

The Trump administration has been surging thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.

Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.