Civil rights and immigration organizations have called for protests across the United States this weekend after the killing of an activist in Minnesota by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Meanwhile, state authorities have launched a separate investigation into the incident, parallel to the federal one.
Minneapolis became the epicenter of tensions on Wednesday when an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, as she sat in her car on a residential street. The incident came just days after about 2,000 federal agents deployed to the city in what the Department of Homeland Security called its “largest operation ever.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the deployment “reckless” and an example of “reality show governance.” The protests escalated Friday night, when hundreds of demonstrators staged a “rally” near a hotel where ICE agents were allegedly staying. State police declared the gathering illegal and temporarily detained dozens of people.
The incident has produced conflicting narratives. Donald Trump's administration claims that Renee Good was "obstructing" and "stalking" the officers and that the officer opened fire in self-defense, calling the incident an "act of domestic terrorism." But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said bystander video footage refuted the official version, while civil rights groups say there was no justification for the use of deadly force.
Footage shows Good's car was speeding away from agents when it was shot, casting doubt on the claim that she had attempted to run over the officer. Due to the tensions, Governor Walz has placed the National Guard on alert.
The incident in Minneapolis, along with a similar one in Portland, has sparked thousands of protests in several US cities. More than 1,000 rallies are planned under the slogan "ICE Out For Good," turning the issue of militarized deportations into a new political and social crisis for the US, on the verge of fierce confrontations between federal and state authorities.
