Another series of demonstrations were scheduled for Friday in Minneapolis following the death of a local woman at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during the Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown in a major city. This comes after two individuals were shot and injured by federal immigration officers in Portland, Oregon, the previous day.
On Thursday night, hundreds of protesters marched through freezing rain in Minneapolis, expressing their outrage over the shooting of Renee Nicole Good. They chanted “ICE out now!” and displayed signs demanding the removal of ICE from their streets. The day kicked off with a fervent protest outside a federal facility serving as a central location for the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Barricades were set up by authorities outside the facility on Friday.
City workers cleared makeshift barricades made of old Christmas trees and other debris that had obstructed the streets near the location where Good was shot by the ICE officer as she attempted to drive away. City officials indicated that a makeshift memorial for the 37-year-old mother of three would be allowed to remain.
In Portland, the shooting incident outside a hospital involved a man and a woman, identified as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras. They were shot inside a vehicle, and their conditions were not immediately disclosed. Investigations into the incident were being carried out by the FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice.
Following the Portland shooting, Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council urged ICE to halt all operations in the city until a thorough investigation is concluded. On Thursday night, hundreds gathered at a local ICE building to protest the incident. Early on Friday, Portland police arrested multiple protesters for not moving from the street to the sidewalk to allow traffic to flow.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, just as it did after Good’s shooting, defended the actions of the officers in Portland. They stated that the shooting occurred when a Venezuelan man with alleged gang affiliations, connected to a recent shooting, attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon against the officers. The agency emphasized that the officer acted promptly to protect themselves and others.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, along with President Donald Trump and other administration members, consistently portrayed the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense. They depicted Good as an aggressor, insinuating that she used her vehicle to attack the officer who fatally shot her.
Vice-President JD Vance supported the justification of the shooting, describing Good as a “victim of left-wing ideology.” He pointed out that the officer who shot her had been injured by a vehicle during an arrest in June. However, state and local officials, as well as protesters, rejected this narrative. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey noted that video evidence contradicts the self-defense argument presented by authorities.
Education Minnesota and union leaders from schools across the state held a news conference on Friday, urging ICE to refrain from approaching school premises. They highlighted instances of ICE agents monitoring school areas in Roseville and students in other Minnesota locations being fearful of attending school due to potential harassment or assault.
The shooting in Minneapolis occurred on the second day of the Twin Cities immigration crackdown, described by Homeland Security as the largest immigration enforcement operation to date. Over 2,000 officers are participating, leading to more than 1,500 arrests, as reported by Noem. The incident triggered immediate responses in the city where George Floyd was killed in 2020, with protests erupting and the school district canceling classes for the remainder of the week as a precaution.
The death of Good, the fifth associated with immigration enforcement actions since Trump’s tenure began, has reverberated beyond Minneapolis. Protests have been organized or anticipated in major U.S. cities this week in response to the incident. The Minnesota agency responsible for investigating officer-involved shootings stated that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department declined to collaborate, effectively excluding the state from determining potential criminal activities.
Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a letter to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the Minneapolis shooting. They emphasized the importance of full cooperation with state and local authorities for a comprehensive inquiry. The Hennepin County district attorney also encouraged the public to submit any related evidence directly to their office.
Federal officials chose not to disclose the officer’s identity, and independent verification by CBC News was unsuccessful. Nonetheless, details provided by Vance and Noem closely aligned with federal court documents regarding an incident involving an ICE officer in Bloomington last June. The court documents revealed that the officer, identified as Jonathan Ross, was involved in an altercation while attempting to apprehend Roberto Carlos Muñoz, an undocumented immigrant convicted of sexual assault.
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