Alarming Surge: ICE Agents Involved in Six Vehicle Shooting Incidents in Recent Months

WASHINGTON D.C. — In recent months, federal immigration agents have been involved in at least six shooting incidents targeting individuals in vehicles. The Department of Homeland Security reports these vehicles were allegedly attempting to strike the agents, with the latest occurrence happening on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

In a tragic event on Wednesday morning in Minneapolis, a 37-year-old woman named Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a large-scale federal operation, according to statements from Minnesota officials.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, issued a statement regarding the incident. She explained that an ICE agent opened fire on a vehicle, claiming the driver was attempting to ram into the agents.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow officers, and the safety of the public, discharged his weapon defensively,” McLaughlin stated.

On Wednesday afternoon, videos purportedly depicting the moments before and after the shooting involving the ICE agent began circulating on social media. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, after reviewing the footage, stated at a press conference that the video did not support claims that the driver was trying to hit the agents.

This is not the first time that DHS has said after a shooting involving an ICE agent that a driver had tried to hit an agent, giving that as the reason for the shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a news conference on Wednesday that more than 100 vehicle-rammings have happened in recent weeks.

“People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons,” she said.

In Black Forest, Colorado, in July, an ICE spokesperson said two people who were the target of a law-enforcement operation “attempted to ram their vehicle into ICE officers.” An officer fired three shots into the vehicle. The two people fled. At least one was later arrested, 9NEWS reported.

In a Chicago suburb in September, an ICE agent fatally shot a man who tried to evade arrest by driving his car at agents, dragging one of them, DHS officials said. ICE identified the suspect as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, and said he had a history of reckless driving and had entered the country illegally, the Associated Press reported.

In Los Angeles in October, federal authorities said a TikTok streamer, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, tried to ram his vehicle into theirs while they were trying to arrest him on an immigration warrant, and they shot him in the elbow. A U.S. District Court judge later dismissed the indictment against Parias because his rights were violated when federal authorities did not allow his defense attorneys to visit or speak with him in immigration detention, the AP reported.

In Ontario, California, in October, an immigration agent shot a man in the shoulder as he drove away from federal agents, ABC reported. The man’s lawyer said an agent pulled out pepper spray, and the man tried to maneuver his vehicle “to get around,” and was shot through the back passenger window. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said at the time, “The ICE officer, fearing for his life, fired defensive shots at the vehicle.”

In St. Paul, Minnesota, in December, a statement from ICE said its agents were pursuing an undocumented man who tried to flee in a vehicle. The man struck multiple agents as he fled. One agent fired shots. The man was taken into custody, KARE11 reported.

Outside Baltimore in December, a traffic stop ended with an undocumented man shot and another injured after ICE agents said the driver of a van drove at officers, prompting them to open fire. Both the driver and the passenger were expected to recover. In a statement, McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, said, ““Fearing for their lives and public safety, (officers) defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver,” CNN reported.