Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have spread across the United States following the fatal shooting of a mother-of-three in Minneapolis and a separate Border Patrol-related shooting in Portland, Oregon. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot three times in the head by ICE agent Jonathan Ross while inside her SUV on Wednesday, sparking mass demonstrations and outrage from Minnesota lawmakers.
On Thursday, two more people were shot by US Customs and Border Protection agents during operations in Oregon. Their conditions remain unclear, but Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said she had been informed they were both alive. Crowds took to the streets in cities including New York, Minneapolis, Portland and Phoenix, with some burning American flags and chanting slogans such as 'save a life, kill an ICE' and 'Kristi Noem will hang'.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the National Guard, and Minneapolis Public Schools cancelled classes for the remainder of the week, later offering e-learning through February 12. The Department of Homeland Security announced it is sending at least 100 more federal agents to Minneapolis, adding to the more than 2,000 already deployed in what it says is its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation. The department claims both shootings were in self-defence.
In New York, protesters chanted for the death of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and were heard saying 'Death, death to the IDF', referencing ICE's training with the Israeli Defence Force. The Department of Homeland Security posted on X that investigations in Minneapolis are accelerating and that they 'will not be impeded from ending the FRAUD'. Representative Mary Miller of Illinois called for Governor Walz's arrest, citing the Insurrection Act.
An internal ICE email from December 12, obtained by The New York Times, warned agents to remain vigilant about protesters and be 'prepared to take appropriate and decisive actions'. The email, signed by Marcos Charles, head of Enforcement and Removal Operations, noted an increase in protest activity and threats against officers. A new video from the scene shows Good's Honda Pilot pulling up before a passenger exits.
