An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 8, 2026, after she blocked federal agents with her vehicle and drove toward one, striking him. The Trump administration has defended the shooting as self-defense, labeling Good a domestic terrorist and agitator, while critics including Democrats and celebrities call it unjustified murder amid aggressive ICE operations. Videos of the incident show conflicting interpretations, with some analyses indicating Good was de-escalating and agents were belligerent.
The incident occurred last Wednesday in Minneapolis during an ICE operation targeting undocumented immigrants, including those convicted of serious crimes like sexual abuse. According to the White House, Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, poet, and member of an 'ICE watch' activist group, positioned her car to obstruct agents, taunted them, and then accelerated, striking agent Jonathan Ross, who fired in self-defense. President Donald Trump described the event in a social media post: 'The woman 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.' Vice President JD Vance and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed this, calling Good a 'deranged leftist' and 'lunatic' part of an organized group impeding law enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security reported a 1,300% increase in assaults on ICE agents, attributing it to 'malicious rhetoric' from sanctuary politicians.
However, videos analyzed by The New York Times and others contradict the administration's narrative, showing ICE agents acting belligerently and unprofessionally. Good's last words to Ross were 'I’m not mad at you,' suggesting de-escalation efforts, and shooting at a moving vehicle violates standard police guidelines. After the shooting, an agent reportedly yelled 'Fucking bitch.' Democrats, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Tina Smith, and Mayor Jacob Frey, condemned the killing as murder, with former Vice President Kamala Harris calling the explanation 'pure gaslighting.' Frey stated ICE operations make Minneapolis 'far less safe' and urged agents to 'get the f*ck out.'
The killing has sparked widespread outrage. At the Minnesota Timberwolves game, fans chanted 'Fuck ICE!' during a moment of silence, while coaches Doc Rivers and Steve Kerr labeled it 'straight-up murder' and 'shameful,' criticizing government lies despite video evidence. At the Golden Globes, celebrities like Mark Ruffalo wore 'Be Good' pins, with Ruffalo saying, 'We have a woman, Renee Good, was murdered in our streets... stormtroopers running around terrorizing.' Ariana Grande and Wanda Sykes sported 'ICE Out' pins. Right-wing commentators, including Matt Walsh and Erick Erickson, unleashed sexist and homophobic attacks, portraying Good—a white lesbian—as a 'race traitor' protecting 'criminal Somalis.' Polling shows majority disapproval of Trump's immigration policies post-incident, with 70% of Latinos opposing them.
