US Border Patrol involved in an armed incident in Arizona. One person is in critical condition
January 27, 2026, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents detain a man as part of OPERATION METRO SURGE to combat illegal immigration. PHOTO: Dave Decker / Zuma Press / Profimedia
US Border Patrol was involved in a shootout in Arizona on Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said in a statement, adding that his office is working with the FBI and Customs and Border Protection to investigate the incident.
NBC News previously reported, citing a Pima sheriff's spokeswoman, that one person was in critical condition after being shot in an armed incident involving the Border Patrol in the county that includes the city of Tucson and straddles the U.S.-Mexico border.
The circumstances of the incident are currently unclear and the person shot has not been identified. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request for details.
Arivaca, a community about 10 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border where Sheriff Chris Nanos said the incident occurred, is a busy crossing point for migrants and is also the site of past tensions between migrant advocates and Border Patrol (ICE).
The incident follows the killing of Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times by federal immigration agents in Minnesota on Saturday.
Along with the fatal shooting of Renee Good, also a 37-year-old woman, earlier this month by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Pretti's shooting has turned into a full-blown political crisis for President Donald Trump and sparked a new wave of anger over the aggressive tactics of federal agents who have been patrolling the streets of Minneapolis for weeks.
Trump has pursued a tough immigration agenda since taking his second term last year and has sent immigration agents into major US cities, where they have raided neighborhoods and often clashed with residents.
Masked immigration officers, often dressed in tactical military-style gear, have become a common sight across the country, and protests against the crackdown have erupted in several cities, including Minneapolis, where immigration agents have responded with lethal force.
Public support for Trump's immigration policy appeared to be falling both before and after Pretti's shooting, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. The issue has put Republicans on the defensive ahead of November's midterm elections, when Trump's party's slim majority in the US Congress is up for grabs.
