An ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in south Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation on Wednesday. The incident has sparked investigations, protests, and sharp political divisions over federal immunity and the role of observers at raids. Minnesota officials describe Good as a compassionate neighbor, while the Trump administration labels her actions as domestic terrorism.
On Wednesday, January 8, 2026, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three from Minneapolis, was fatally shot by ICE Officer Jonathan Ross during a routine immigration raid in the city's south side. According to video footage and eyewitness accounts, Good was seated in her car, positioned perpendicular to traffic, when agents approached and demanded she exit the vehicle. As officers attempted to open her door, Good maneuvered her car to drive away, turning her wheels to avoid one of the agents. Officer Ross, fearing for his safety, fired multiple shots from close range, striking and killing her.
The Trump administration swiftly defended the shooting as self-defense. Department of Homeland Security officials stated, "In a split-second decision, our ICE officer acted dutifully to save his own life and the lives of his fellow officers." They characterized Good's actions as "an act of domestic terrorism by an anti-ICE agitator," with White House policy chief Stephen Miller claiming she intended to run over officers. Vice President J.D. Vance asserted that federal agents have "absolute immunity," and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the terrorism narrative. Newly released footage shows Good's wife encouraging her to leave the scene, later expressing remorse by saying, "I made her come down here. It’s my fault."
Minnesota authorities strongly dispute the federal portrayal. The state launched its own investigation after the FBI excluded local officials on Thursday. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty responded, "I can't speak to why the Trump administration is doing what it's doing or says what it says. I can say that the ICE officer does not have complete immunity here." Attorney General Keith Ellison described Good as "anything but" a domestic terrorist, calling her a "compassionate neighbor trying to be a legal observer on behalf of her immigrant neighbors." Good had dropped her 6-year-old child at school that morning and was affiliated with an ICE Watch group, which monitors raids to ensure immigrants' rights without confrontation. Her mother told the Minnesota Star Tribune, "Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life."
The shooting has fueled nationwide anti-ICE protests. On Friday night, demonstrators in Minneapolis chased Police Chief Brian O’Hara and officers, hurling snowballs and expletives like "You better f*cking run!" while escorting a squad car from the area. O’Hara called the incident "entirely predictable" amid rising tensions and urged de-escalation alongside an independent probe. Democrats in Congress are pushing to curb ICE funding during appropriations, highlighting broader resistance to the administration's immigration policies.
While video angles suggest Good may have grazed an officer, no footage confirms she intentionally ran him over, as claimed by President Trump. The case underscores deepening divides over federal enforcement powers in states like Minnesota.
