The fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis has starkly illustrated the human cost of what the Trump administration calls its "largest operation to date" targeting immigrants in the United States.
A Broad Daylight Killing Sparks Outrage
On Wednesday 7 January 2026, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident occurred in broad daylight, with dozens of horrified bystanders reportedly screaming in shock. Just hours later, a vigil was held in the city to mourn her death.
This shooting did not occur in a vacuum. Since early December, a heavily armed surge of officers from ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations has been conducting raids across the Twin Cities. Masked agents brandishing rifles have apprehended people at hardware stores, gyms, outside homes, and even schools, often using violent force against undocumented immigrants and, in several instances, US citizens including advocates and protesters.
"Before this administration, I don't think we've ever seen this kind of hyper-militarized enforcement, with surges of thousands of officers," said Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director at Detention Watch Network.
A Pattern of Violence and Impunity
The death of Renee Nicole Good appears to be part of a grim national trend under the second Trump term. According to data compiled by the Trace, a non-profit tracking gun violence, immigration officers have been connected to 14 shootings since the start of the administration, including at least four that were fatal.
In a statement following Good's death, the Department of Homeland Security claimed she "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers." However, this account has been challenged by eyewitness testimonies and video evidence. Similar official narratives have been dismissed by judges in other cases where ICE agents shot people they accused of using vehicles as weapons.
The violence extends beyond shootings. In October, a 24-year-old Honduran man died fleeing ICE agents in Virginia. In July, a farmworker in California fell to his death from a greenhouse roof during a raid. Furthermore, 2025 was the deadliest year for ICE custody since 2004, with 32 recorded deaths.
"Over the past year, the Trump administration has granted ICE agents virtual impunity to visit terror and violence on immigrant communities across our country," said Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center. "The violence has to stop, immediately."
‘They Don't Care’: Raids Intensify Despite Public Alarm
Despite the administration's justification that these operations are necessary to root out criminals, evidence suggests otherwise. A preliminary analysis by Minnesota Public Radio indicates that most individuals arrested in the Twin Cities raids have no criminal convictions. This pattern is reflected nationally, with most immigrants detained by ICE since the start of Trump's second term having no criminal record.
The fear and disruption are palpable on the ground. In a shocking escalation just hours after Good's killing, armed immigration officers descended on Minneapolis's Roosevelt High School. School officials reported that agents tackled people, handcuffed two staff members, and deployed chemical weapons on bystanders.
"They don't care. They're just animals," one school official told MPR. "I've never seen people behave like this."
With the massive Minneapolis mobilisation signalling no let-up in indiscriminate enforcement, local leaders and human rights advocates fear further tragedy. As Setareh Ghandehari warned, there is a definite chance of another incident like Good's shooting if ICE continues to act "with impunity and without any semblance of accountability."
