Unrest in Minneapolis has intensified following a second fatal shooting involving federal agents this month, prompting sharp political exchanges and renewed scrutiny of the US government’s expanding immigration enforcement operations. US Vice President J.D. Vance has characterized the protests and violence in the city as the product of what he termed “engineered chaos,” placing blame on activists and local officials rather than on federal authorities.

Minneapolis has experienced several days of demonstrations after US Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti on January 25. Pretti, a local resident and intensive care nurse, was killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation conducted as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) largest interior crackdown to date. The operation, which involves thousands of federal agents, is aimed at identifying and arresting undocumented immigrants across Minnesota and other states.

Pretti’s death marked the second fatal shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis in January. Earlier this month, Renee Good was killed during a separate enforcement action, an incident that already had heightened tensions between local communities and federal authorities. Together, the two deaths have galvanized protests, drawn national attention, and reignited debates over immigration policy, the use of force by federal agents, and the balance of power between federal and local governments.

In a post on social media platform X, Vice President Vance asserted that Minneapolis had become a uniquely volatile environment due to what he described as deliberate efforts by “far-left agitators” working in concert with sympathetic local officials. “This level of engineered chaos is........

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