Minneapolis became a focal point of national unrest on March 6, 2024, when an officer from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed a 37-year-old mother of three, Renee Good, while she was inside her vehicle. The incident occurred during a period when approximately 2,000 federal officers were deployed to the city, marking what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as the “largest DHS operation ever.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the federal deployment, calling it a “reckless” manifestation of “governance by reality TV.” Good was reportedly participating in community “neighbourhood patrols,” which monitor and document ICE activities, when the shooting took place. According to family members and local activists, these patrols are aimed at holding federal agents accountable.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting are contentious. Officials from the Trump administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, claimed that Good was “impeding” and “stalking” ICE agents. They asserted that the officer acted in self-defense, alleging that she attempted to ram her vehicle into him in what they described as an “act of domestic terrorism.” In contrast, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey referenced bystander video that he argued undermined the federal government’s narrative, suggesting that the agents had no justification for using deadly force.
In response to the incident, law enforcement agencies in Minnesota and Hennepin County announced on March 8, 2024, that they would initiate an independent criminal investigation, separate from the ongoing federal investigation led by the FBI. Some officials from the Trump administration, including Vice-President JD Vance, contended that state prosecutors could not charge a federal officer, although legal experts emphasize that federal immunity is not guaranteed in such cases.
The shooting has intensified already fraught federal-state relations, prompting Governor Walz to place the state’s National Guard on alert. The tensions escalated further with another incident on March 7, 2024, when a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, shot and wounded two individuals during an attempted vehicle stop. Similar to the Minneapolis case, DHS claimed the driver attempted to use the vehicle as a weapon against agents.
Local officials in Portland, including Mayor Keith Wilson, echoed the call for an independent investigation, expressing skepticism about the federal government’s account of the events. DHS identified the injured individuals as suspected gang associates from Venezuela, asserting that one of them had previously been involved in a shootout in Portland, although they did not provide evidence for these claims.
The operations in Minneapolis follow recent criticisms of Governor Walz and Minnesota’s significant population of Somali immigrants, amid allegations of fraud involving nonprofit organizations managing childcare and social services. The shooting of Good occurred just blocks away from where George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, an event that ignited widespread protests against racial injustice.
In the wake of these incidents, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Minneapolis, Portland, and other cities, rallying under the banner “ICE Out For Good.” More demonstrations are planned over the weekend, highlighting a growing movement against federal immigration enforcement practices. The emotional and political ramifications of these events continue to unfold, as communities demand accountability and justice in the face of escalating tensions.
