Kristi Noem announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be bolstering its presence in Minneapolis with “hundreds more” agents in the coming days. She stated that this move is aimed at uncovering what she described as “true corruption” in the city. “We’re deploying more officers today and tomorrow to allow our ICE and border patrol personnel operating in Minneapolis to work safely,” said the Homeland Security Secretary during an interview with Fox News on Sunday. The announcement follows a heated discussion with CNN’s Jake Tapper about the controversy surrounding the death of Renee Nicole Good. Noem also disclosed that numerous illegal immigrants have been apprehended in sanctuary cities nationwide. “These sanctuary cities, including Minneapolis, pose significant risks to American citizens. Since our arrival, we’ve detained numerous individuals accused of serious crimes such as murder and rape,” Noem explained to Tapper.

Noem highlighted that a comprehensive list of individuals arrested in Minnesota has been released, showcasing the impact of increased personnel in the area. She urged local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with ICE instead of opposing them. This call for cooperation comes after criticism from Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who have accused the Trump administration of inflammatory rhetoric following Good’s death. Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed last Wednesday by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. Noem described her actions as “domestic terrorism,” alleging she tried to run Ross over, while Mayor Frey demanded ICE leave Minneapolis in a heated response.

Mayor Frey further criticized the federal administration, accusing it of immediately spinning the narrative to portray Ross’s actions as self-defense. “The story ICE is pushing—that this was purely self-defense and that the victim’s actions amounted to domestic terrorism—is absolute nonsense,” Frey expressed on CNN on Thursday. “We need to be clear about the situation because it affects not only Minneapolis but the resilience of our republic.” On CNN’s State of the Union with Tapper, Noem reiterated her stance, insisting that Good had targeted the ICE agent.

Noem was asked by Tapper if she was ‘doing a disservice’ to the ICE agent who shot Good through the windshield of her car by drawing conclusions about the incident. Noem defiantly responded that she hadn’t heard Tapper ‘say once what a disservice it’s done for Mayor Frey to get up and tell ICE to get the F out!’ The Trump administration has come to Ross’s defense over his shooting of Good, saying it occurred after Good intended to run the agent down with her car, while Democratic officials in Minneapolis say it was murder. In the days following her death, more footage was shared online showing Good and her wife, Rebecca, protesting along with others that day. ‘We stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns,’ Rebecca, 40, said Friday in a statement to MPR News.

She highlighted Good’s Christian faith, and they were raising their six-year-old son to ‘believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine,’ Rebecca added. A newly released video filmed on Ross’s cellphone showed how Good and Rebecca seemingly taunted the officer in the lead-up to the deadly shooting. The couple are understood to have been part of a community watch group that was actively resisting ICE. Rebecca’s statement seemingly confirmed the Trump administration’s claim that the couple were participating in a protest against the planned detention of Somali migrants in the area. Witnesses have claimed that Good and Rebecca were acting as legal observers and filming the protest. Rebecca, in harrowing footage captured at the scene, admitted she encouraged Good to confront agents. ‘I made her come down here, it’s my fault,’ she cried.

The couple moved to Minnesota last year, after a brief stint in Canada. They are understood to have fled the US after Donald Trump was elected. Rebecca said Friday that the pair ‘moved to make a better life for ourselves.’ Good’s death has sparked an uprising across the US with protests under the banner ‘ICE Out for Good’ continuing on and demonstrations reported from coast to coast. Anti-ICE demonstrators have taken to the streets of New York City to Texas, and California, triggering arrests and mounting fear and unrest nationwide.

Austin Police confirmed that at least three people were taken into custody after officers moved against demonstrators following a march from the J.J. Pickle Federal Building. Video from the scene showed officers pushing into the crowd as protesters screamed, and one could be heard shouting, ‘We’re with you,’ to a handcuffed marcher. Texas officials made it clear they are taking a hard line. Governor Greg Abbott said the Texas Department of Public Safety ‘was not putting up with defiant protesters’, and Lt. Chris Olivarez, a DPS spokesperson, emphasized that while peaceful assembly is protected, ‘violence, threats to the public or law enforcement, obstruction of roadways, and damage to property will not be tolerated.’