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A person was shot Tuesday morning during an encounter involving U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona, authorities said, marking the latest shooting tied to federal immigration enforcement as scrutiny intensifies nationwide over the use of force by Department of Homeland Security officers.
The shooting occurred around 7:30 a.m. near milepost 15 on West Arivaca Road in southern Pima County, according to a statement from the Santa Rita Fire District. The individual, who has not been identified, was transported in critical condition to a regional trauma center by medical helicopter.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear, and officials did not say whether any law enforcement officers were injured.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment.
Crews from the Santa Rita Fire District and American Medical Response provided emergency medical care at the scene before transferring the patient for air transport.
“The incident remains under active investigation by law enforcement agencies,” the fire district said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are assisting in the investigation. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shooting adds to national backlash
The Arizona shooting comes just three days after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, during a confrontation with immigration officers in Minneapolis. It also follows the killing earlier this month of Renee Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an encounter in the same city.
The deaths of Pretti and Good have sparked days of protests in Minneapolis and fueled sharp criticism of DHS leadership, including calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired or impeached.
House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California issued a joint statement Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of using taxpayer dollars “to kill American citizens.”
They said they would pursue impeachment proceedings against Noem in the House of Representatives if she is not removed from office.
Trump dismisses calls for change
Asked Tuesday whether Noem would step down, President Donald Trump responded simply, “No,” while speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn.
Trump also said his border czar, Tom Homan, is currently in Minnesota meeting with state and local officials in the wake of the Minneapolis shootings.
“He’s with the governor and with the mayor, and I hear things are going very nicely,” Trump said.
The administration has defended its immigration enforcement strategy, even as it faces mounting pressure from Democrats, civil rights groups and some Republicans who have called for independent investigations into recent shootings.
Rising number of shootings
Federal immigration officers have shot at least 12 people since September, according to figures cited by lawmakers, as DHS has expanded deportation and enforcement operations across the country.
Investigations into several of those incidents, including the shootings in Minneapolis and Arizona, remain ongoing.
