By Mel Wilson, NASW Senior Policy Advisor
The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, demands unequivocal condemnation. Video evidence described by local officials and witnesses shows that Ms. Good, a 37‑year‑old mother of three and U.S. citizen, was unarmed and posed no immediate threat when agents fired into her vehicle.
That it was an ICE agent who shot Ms. Good was not coincidental. The tragic incident occurred during mass immigration raids in the city of Minneapolis and protests against the ICE deployment in the city. The protestors were particularly angered that shortly before the January 7h, an estimated 2,000 additional ICE agents were deployed to Minneapolis as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” — this was in addition to the nearly 700 agents already in the state.
According to reports, Ms. Good was in the area of a protest to drop her child off at a nearby school. For reasons that are unclear, she remained in her vehicle at the chaotic scene. At some point, ICE agents accused her of blocking ICE vehicles and ordered her to leave.
Videos recorded by witnesses show that the encounter quickly escalated, leading to the sequence of events that ended with her being shot at close range by an ICE officer. ICE’s immediate justification for the shooting was that the victim was a participant in the protests and after being told to leave, she “weaponized” her vehicle by purposely running into an ICE agent.
Eyewitness accounts and videos of the incident contradict ICE claims that she had used her car as a “weapon,” thereby justifying the shooting. After reviewing the video footage, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly and emphatically rejected the Department of Homeland Security’s narrative as false. Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Waltz also strongly disputed assertions that the shooting was an act of self‑defense. They both asked for a complete investigation of the events by appropriate Minnesota investigative agencies and the FBI, which is a standard procedure.
Unexpectedly, In a break with protocols, the FBI ordered that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) must cease its investigative activities on the case . In addition, the FBI barred Minnesota officials access to any evidence and investigative materials related to the shooting. This action was negatively received by Mayor Frey and Governor Waltz. Moreover, the FBI’s decision deepened and reinforced the community’s suspicions that the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot be trusted to conduct an honest and factually transparent investigating of the shooting — representing an unacceptable breach of public trust and human rights.
Distortion of the Facts
Aside from the shooting of Ms. Good, the most egregious action associated with this deeply troubling incident are the fallacious public statements of some of the public officials in their efforts to “justify” the shooting.
A protestor at a political rally holds a sign that reads “no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” advocating for immigrant rights, acceptance and community inclusion.
To begin with, just hours after the incident DHS Secretary Kristi Noem went before the press to emphatically proclaim that the ICE officer was fully justified in using lethal force in shooting the victim. Ms. Noem’s official assertion was that Ms. Good used her vehicle as a weapon in an attempt to run over multiple ICE agents. Based on that unproven declaration, Noem insisted the officer’s response was appropriate according to DHS policies, saying he “acted to defend himself”.”
More disturbing, the secretary characterized Ms. Good’s behavior as “domestic terrorism.” This characterization is significantly concerning because in this tragedy the term “domestic terrorism” does not come close to meeting the criteria to justify use of lethal force.
Yet, Ms. Noem continued to use the term in support of the ICE officer who killed Ms. Good. Subsequent statements from the Trump administration made it clear that the administration had decided that “domestic terrorism” is to be its official talking point language for blaming Ms. Good for her own death.
For example, this blame-the-victim approach emerged a few hours after Ms. Noem’s statement when President Trump said, “The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman [Ms. Good] driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.”
Trump’s statement requires very little clarification — it speaks for itself. There is nothing in the video and nor is there physical evidence that Ms. Good “willfully and viciously ran over the ICE officer.” However, the president showed no shame in slandering and distorting the facts about a woman who only hours earlier had been fatally shot by an ICE agent.
Lastly, it was Vice President Vance’s turn to go before the press to tout the administration’s party line about Ms. Good being a domestic terrorist. In so doing, Vance said, “The reason this woman is dead, is because she tried to ram somebody with her car, and that guy acted in self-defense. That is why she lost her life, and that is the tragedy.” In that same press conference, Vance went on to make wildly inaccurate and outright lies blaming not only domestic terrorism but also the “radical left” for Ms. Good’s death.
For those reasons, it is important that we emphasize the callousness of the highest officials in our government to cover up an apparent unjustified killing of an American citizen. While such statements by our leaders are shameful, they are not surprising coming from the architects and executive managers of the equally shameful Mass Deportation Policy which has led to unrelenting ICE raids throughout the country.
Having seen the videos of Ms. Good’s shooting, many Americans find the administration’s “domestic terrorism” rationale to be incredulous. However, many people support a full and thorough and fair investigation of the incident — even though Trump’s pre-judgement of the case will raise doubts about the credibility of the outcome.
Also, many people following this case think the evidence shows that the ICE officer should be criminally charged, indicted, and have his day in court. Having said that, in the event there is an implication of criminal wrongdoing in this case, Director Noem should also be held accountable — in particular because of her gross fabrications and false accusation of “domestic terrorism” against Ms. Good.
Addendum: The Minnesota Somali Community
We would be remiss if we failed to mention the intersection between Ms. Good’s death and the racist attack on the Minnesota Somali community by President Trump and his supporters . All of which included President Trump and senior officials initiating orchestrated, disparaging comments about Somalis and labeling them as “being undesirable criminals who are prone to social disorder.” This included Trump pointedly saying he did not want Somalis in the United States because “they contribute nothing.”
Unsurprisingly, the Trump campaign to target Somalis created a toxic environment that culminated with Secretary Noem and President Trump deploying more agents to Minnesota in the days prior to Ms. Good’s shooting. The fact is that the large anti-ICE protest — at which Ms. Good parked her car— occurred in direct reaction to the massive presence of additional ICE agents.
Although Ms. Good was a U.S. citizen and not Somali, her shooting occurred during a period of heightened federal activity in Minnesota that was widely understood to be directed at Somali immigrants. Our fear is that regardless of the outcome of Ms. Good’s case, the Somali community will continue to be unfairly targeted and harassed by the administration.
Additional NASW Resources
In aftermath of ICE shooting, NASW Minnesota says there must be truth, justice and accountability
Facebook Live – Supporting Immigrant Communities: A Conversation for Social Workers
Navigating ICE Presence in School and Healthcare Facilities
Trump’s use of National Guard to quell Los Angeles immigration protests is unlawful
Trump administration’s immigration executive orders will harm families, children
