On Wednesday, amidst a surge in immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota led by the Trump administration, an incident occurred in which 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Good, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
The tragic event quickly went viral as videos of the shooting surfaced online, leading to conflicting narratives between Minnesota officials and the Trump administration.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized the confrontation involving Good and the ICE agents as “an act of domestic terrorism.”
In stark contrast, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the administration’s depiction of events, stating, “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bull****.”
Vice President JD Vance commented on the situation, suggesting that while Good’s death was indeed tragic, it was “a tragedy of her own making.”
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota expressed his disapproval, stating, “Those in power have already rendered their verdict. From the president to the vice president and Kristi Noem, [they] have presented you with narratives that are demonstrably false.”
More than 2,000 federal agents arrived in Minnesota this past week – the largest deployment of its kind under President Trump – in what the administration says is a crackdown on both fraud and illegal immigration.
The fatal shooting comes amid a turbulent time for the state, which has been reeling from a welfare scandal.
The situation has remained tense in Minneapolis. State investigators say federal officials have denied them access to evidence in the investigation of Good’s death. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated, “The current posture is that the investigation is one that the feds want to do without state involvement.”
Minneapolis public schools cancelled classes. Vigils popped up citywide. And demonstrators are taking to the streets with familiar outrage.
The protests sparked by Good’s death have revived memories of another scene that played out more than five years ago, when George Floyd was killed at the hands of police less than a mile from where Good was murdered.
Former Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton was at a vigil being held outside her church, less than two blocks from the site of Wednesday’s shooting. “I’m feeling angry, frustrated, but I don’t feel hopeless,” Belton said.
“We’re not powerless to act, but we have to speak with one voice,” she said. “This is a time for action. This is not a time for us to be silent.”
Asked what that action might look like, Belton replied, “Action means demanding that there be an investigation of what happened in our community. What happened? Why was Renee Nicole Good killed? We need answers. And if we don’t do this as a nation, I don’t know, I fear that it could happen again. And that would be the real tragedy.”
On Saturday, anti-ICE protests nationwide took their cues from Minneapolis — a city that has time and time again forced the nation to face itself.
Story produced by Jack Weingart. Editor: Ed Givnish.
