ICE Murder of Minneapolis Woman Leads to Grief, Anger, Sparks National Protests

[Updated, Jan.. 10, 2026]

Millions of Americans are deeply saddened and increasingly angry about the murder of a mother of three by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and thousands are protesting in hundreds of cities and towns around the country. A profound shift in sentiment is taking place. More Americans now support protests more than they do ICE. “ICE Out For Good” protests are planned nationwide for Jan. 10 and 11 and it is likely that tens or even hundreds of thousands will march. This appears to be a tipping point in American culture and politics, but it is still too soon to tell.

ICE officers murdered Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old white mother of three children, who was present at the scene of an ICE operation on January 7, 2026 to show solidarity with her community and its immigrants. When approached by agents, she attempted to drive away from the scene, but an agent fired three shots into the car, killing her. Good, an American-born U.S. citizen, who was described as a “devout Christian,” was a writer and poet.

President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem all claimed that Good was attacking the ICE agents. Noem called her a “domestic terrorist,” saying she had been following and harassing the agents all day.” The conservative news media and bloggers magnified the claims against Good, blaming her for her own murder.

State and local officials decried Good’s killing, blaming ICE for creating chaos, bringing violence and causing her death. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told the press, “I have one word for ICE. Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We don’t want you here.”  Local authorities stated that ICE was preventing them from investigating the killing and demanded they be allowed to investigate. Minnesota governor Tim Walz, also a Democrat, called Good’s killing, “preventable” and “unnecessary.” We have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever.”  He declared that protesting the killing was “a patriotic duty.”  He also said he was calling up the National Guard.

We can imagine a possible confrontation between the state National Guard commanded by Democratic governor Walz and ICE commanded by Trump. Such a confrontation would allow Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and send in the U.S. military to control the state.

“The killing of Renee Nicole Good was an abomination, a disgrace, and blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration who’ve been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement connected to removing violent felons from this country,” said House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, is preparing legislation that would require ICE agents to have warrants for arrests and ban them from wearing masks when engaged in enforcement activities and prevent Border Patrol agents from operating far from the border. Some Democrats are threatening to withhold funding from ICE. “Democrats cannot vote for a [Department of Homeland Security] budget that doesn’t restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency,” said Murphy.

The killing of Good was hardly a unique incident. On January 8, two Border Patrol agents stopped a car and shot two Venezuelan immigrants in Portland, Oregon. The administration claims that one was a member of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, but little information has been forthcoming. Congresswoman Maxine Dexter of Oregon stated, “ICE has done nothing but inject terror, chaos, and cruelty into our communities. Trump’s immigration machine is using violence to control our communities—straight out of the authoritarian playbook. ICE must immediately end all active operations in Portland.”

ICE has shot at least 16 people since Trump returned to office and has killed four. At the same time 32 people have died in ICE custody from a variety of causes. The Trump administration has deported 605,000 immigrants so far, while 1.9 million have “self-deported,” usually to avoid being removed. Those who self-deport sometimes receive plane fare and a financial payment of $1,000.