Minneapolis was on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with protesters venting their outrage, the governor demanding that the state take part in the investigation and schools canceling classes as a precaution.
State and local officials demanded that the immigration agents leave Minnesota after the unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good in the head yesterday.
But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents won't be going anywhere.
Renee Nicole Good: Who was the woman killed by ICE agent? - Watch on TVNZ+
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1500 people have already been arrested.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside of a federal building on the edge of Minneapolis that is serving as a major base for the immigration crackdown.
They shouted “No More ICE,” “Go Home Nazis,” and other slogans as Border Patrol officers pushed them back from the gate, doused them with pepper spray and fired tear gas.
“We should be horrified," protester Shanta Hejmadi said. “We should be saddened that our government is waging war on our citizens. We should get out and say no. What else can we do?”
For Stephanie Abel, the shooting and protests stirred up memories of how Minneapolis felt after police killed George Floyd in 2020. Abel, whose daughter was taking part in the demonstration, said she's started carrying cash and making sure her gas tank is full because she thinks Good's killing could spark the sort of widespread protests that broke out after Floyd's death, which were sometimes violent.
“I’ve been saying for weeks to my friends and family: Somebody is going to get killed,” she said.
Gregory Bovino, a US Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of the crackdowns in other cities, walked along the long line of officers, looking at the crowd as protesters yelled at him, including a man who shouted, “Border Patrol should be along the border!”
Videos spark anger
Federal officials claimed the shooting was an act of self-defence, but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described it as "reckless" and unnecessary. (Source: Reuters)
The anti-immigration enforcement protests weren't confined to Minneapolis, as demonstrations also took place or were expected in New York City, Seattle, Detroit, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago. Protests were also scheduled for later this week in Arizona, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
Bystanders captured video of Good's killing in a residential neighbourhood south of downtown, and hundreds of people turned up for a evening vigil to mourn her.
The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
It isn't clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.
In another recording made afterwards, a woman who identifies Good as her spouse is seen crying near the vehicle. The woman, who is not identified, says the couple recently arrived in Minnesota and that they had a child.
State shut out of the investigation
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.”
President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE’s work.
But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem’s version of events “garbage.”
“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defence,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit.”
He also criticised the federal deployment and said agents should leave.
Minnesota authorities had expected to work with the FBI on the shooting investigation. But the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that the US attorney’s office changed course and barred it from taking part.
“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses and information collected, we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands. As a result, the BCA has reluctantly withdrawn from the investigation," Superintendent Drew Evans said in a statement.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demanded that the state be allowed to take part, as it would be the only way the public could be confident in its findings, noting it would be “very, very difficult for Minnesotans" to accept that an investigation that excludes the state could be fair.
“And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgement from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem, have stood and told you things that are verifiably false, verifiably inaccurate,” said Walz, who noted that he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if needed.
But Noem said the FBI would investigate, and asked about whether the state would be included, she said Minnesota authorities “don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”
The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. Thursday's is at least the fifth death linked to the crackdowns.
The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced the operation’s launch earlier in the week, at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.
In a scene that hearkened back to crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago, people chanted “ICE out of Minnesota” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.
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