Protests erupted in numerous cities across the U.S. Wednesday following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
State and local officials demanded ICE leave the area after Good was shot in the head in the driver’s seat of her vehicle, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents will remain in Minnesota.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.
Good’s shooting happened in a residential neighbourhood Wednesday morning, south of downtown Minneapolis, a mile from the site where George Floyd was killed by a police officer in 2020.
By the evening, hundreds of people had come out for a vigil to mourn Good — whose killing was caught on video — and to urge resistance of immigration enforcement. Some chanted as they marched through the city and confronted law enforcement officials.
Minneapolis
Chicago
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On Wednesday night, protestors gathered in Chicago, where an emergency vigil was held for the victim.
Oakland, Calif.
In Oakland, Calif., demonstrators also gathered for a vigil.
New York City
In New York City, protesters took to the streets to march against ICE in the wake of Good’s death.
“I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to come to see it happens,” Sander Kolodziej, a painter who came to the vigil in Minneapolis to support the community, said.
Noem called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers, saying the driver “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”
U.S. President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE’s work.
“The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social.
Following the shooting, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who had previously asked residents to remain calm, wrote on X, “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, said he had seen footage of the incident and accused federal authorities of spinning the shooting as an act of self-defence, an argument he said was “bullsh–t.”
“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying,” he added. “I have a message for ICE,” Frey said, “get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”
— With files from the Associated Press
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