Anger over the killing of a woman by a U.S. immigration officer in Minneapolis spread to U.S. streets on Saturday. The demonstrations came three days after an ICE agent shot and killed US citizen Renee Nicole Good in a confrontation in south Minneapolis. She was sitting in her car when she was shot. Videos of the incident, filmed from various angles, quickly spread online, sparking sharp and emotional reactions across the country.
Minnesota leaders called the shooting an unjustified use of deadly force against a civilian who was trying to leave the scene. The Trump administration offered a very different version, claiming that Ms. Good had tried to run over the agent. Officials said the agent acted in self-defense.
How the protest spread
On Saturday, protest groups organized rallies across the country under the slogan “ICE out for good,” including in cities that have been key targets of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.In Minneapolis, the reaction was immediate and intense. Despite the freezing temperatures in January, demonstrators marched through immigrant neighborhoods and chanted against ICE. Police fired tear gas near a federal building near the airport. Gov. Tim Walz condemned the shooting and put National Guard troops on alert.The White House responded by sending more federal agents to the city. City officials said most of the protests were peaceful, although 29 people were arrested Friday evening after a smaller group destroyed property and refused to disperse.
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What began as local outrage soon grew into a nationwide protest movement. Videos of the shooting spread widely as civil rights groups and activists called for demonstrations across the country. Anger was further fueled by the Portland shooting, which many protesters cited as part of a broader pattern of federal immigration enforcement.By the weekend, the protests had spread quickly. In Portland, protesters gathered by the river, holding signs and chanting “Abolish ICE.” In New York, people stood in the rain in front of the ICE offices. In Los Angeles, a group of protesters gathered near Pershing Square.Similar scenes were reported in Houston, Austin, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Omaha and several smaller cities.In Austin, Democratic Rep. Greg Casar addressed protesters and called for the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had publicly defended the ICE agent involved.“We cannot wait here in despair. We cannot do anything. We cannot fall into hopelessness,” Casar told protesters.Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison of Minnesota also accused ICE of blocking congressional oversight after they were asked to leave an immigration facility shortly after entering the country.
