President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress protests in Minneapolis against federal immigration enforcement, following the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by an ICE agent. The incident, captured on video, has sparked widespread demonstrations and criticism of the Trump administration's tactics. Minnesota officials have vowed to challenge any such invocation in court.
On January 7, 2026, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a white U.S. citizen and mother of three, while she was in her SUV near her Minneapolis home. Cellphone videos show two ICE agents approaching Good's vehicle after it stopped near their pickup truck. One agent reaches through the open driver's window and attempts to open the door, yelling, "Get out of the fucking car!" Good reverses slowly, then drives forward, turning right to leave. Ross, standing in front of the car, unholsters his gun, moves to the side, and fires several shots through the window, striking Good in the head. The vehicle crashes into a parked car, and Good was pronounced dead shortly after.
The Department of Homeland Security stated Good was not a target of an ICE investigation. However, Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as "an act of domestic terrorism," claiming ICE officers were stuck in snow and attacked by Good. President Trump posted on Truth Social: "The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and 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." Videos do not show Good running over any agent.
The shooting ignited protests against ICE's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, a diverse area with sanctuary policies. Demonstrators have clashed with federal agents, leading to tear gas deployments. On January 14, a second incident occurred when an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg during an arrest attempt. DHS reported the agent was ambushed by three individuals, including attacks with a snow shovel and broom handle; the other two were arrested.
On January 15, Trump threatened via Truth Social: "If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.... I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT... and quickly put an end to the travesty." The 1807 law allows military deployment for domestic unrest without state consent. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison responded: "If Donald Trump does invoke the Insurrection Act, I'm prepared to challenge that action in court."
Legal experts cite Supreme Court precedent from Graham v. Connor (1989) and Barnes v. Felix (2025), emphasizing the "totality of circumstances" in assessing use of force, questioning Ross's actions. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced an independent investigation into Good's death. Protests continue amid heightened tensions, with Governor Tim Walz urging peaceful demonstrations.
