A fresh wave of demonstrations was scheduled for Friday in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a local woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer amid the Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown in a major city. This occurred a day after two individuals were shot and injured by federal immigration officers in Portland, Oregon.
On Thursday night, hundreds of protesters braved freezing rain to march down a key Minneapolis street, denouncing the shooting of Renee Nicole Good and demanding “ICE out now!” The day began with a spirited protest outside a federal facility central to the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Barricades were set up outside the facility on Friday.
City workers cleared makeshift blockades of old Christmas trees and debris that had obstructed streets near where Good was shot by the ICE officer while attempting to flee. A memorial for the 37-year-old mother of three was permitted to remain in place by city officials.
In Portland, the shooting incident took place outside a hospital on Thursday afternoon. The individuals shot, identified as Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, both Venezuela nationals, were in a vehicle. Their conditions remained unknown as the FBI and Oregon Department of Justice launched an investigation.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called for a halt to all ICE operations in the city until a comprehensive investigation is concluded, as hundreds protested at a local ICE facility on Thursday evening.
Early on Friday, Portland police arrested several protesters after instructing them to relocate from the street to the sidewalk to allow traffic to flow smoothly.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, echoing its stance after Good’s shooting, defended the Portland officers’ actions, asserting that the shooting occurred when a Venezuelan man associated with gangs, involved in a recent shooting, tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against the officers.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump, and other administration officials reiterated that the Minneapolis shooting was an act of self-defense, portraying Good as the aggressor who used her vehicle as a weapon against the officer.
Vice-President JD Vance supported the shooting as justified, attributing Good’s fate to “left-wing ideology.” State and local authorities, along with protesters, rejected this narrative, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissing the self-defense argument as baseless based on video recordings.
In a news conference on Friday, Education Minnesota and union leaders from schools across the state urged ICE to refrain from approaching schools, citing instances of ICE presence near school premises causing fear among students.
The Minneapolis shooting occurred on the second day of the Twin Cities immigration crackdown, described by Homeland Security as the most extensive immigration enforcement operation to date. The incident incited immediate reactions in the city still reeling from the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, prompting protests and the suspension of classes by the school district as a precaution.
Good’s death marked at least the fifth fatality linked to immigration enforcement since Trump’s presidency, prompting protests in various U.S. cities throughout the week.
The Minnesota agency investigating officer-involved shootings revealed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department declined to collaborate, effectively sidelining the state’s role in determining potential criminal acts. State officials cited a lack of access to essential evidence, witnesses, and information as hindrances to meeting investigative standards.
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith penned a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging a comprehensive, impartial investigation into the Minneapolis shooting. They emphasized the necessity of full cooperation with state and local authorities.
The Hennepin County district attorney sought public submissions of video evidence related to Good’s shooting to aid in the investigation. Federal officials refrained from disclosing the agent’s identity, while details provided by Vance and Noem aligned closely with federal court documents detailing an incident involving an ICE officer in Bloomington last June.
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