US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivered a blistering retort to CNN host Jake Tapper during a live television interview, leaving the anchor momentarily speechless in a heated exchange over a fatal shooting involving an immigration officer.
A Heated Exchange on State of the Union
The confrontation occurred on Sunday, January 11, 2026, on CNN's State of the Union. Tapper questioned Noem on whether she was "doing a disservice" to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved by drawing conclusions about the incident that took place in Minneapolis on Wednesday, January 7. The officer shot and killed 32-year-old Renee Good through her car's windshield.
Noem responded defiantly, turning the tables on the host and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "I haven't heard you say once what a disservice it's done for Mayor Frey to get up and tell ICE to get the F out!" she fired back. This referenced Mayor Frey's public demand for ICE agents to leave his city following the shooting.
Conflicting Accounts of a Fatal Incident
The shooting itself remains shrouded in contradictory narratives. ICE claims that Good deliberately drove her burgundy SUV at agents, attempting to use it as a deadly weapon. However, witnesses and local officials strongly dispute this version of events.
Footage from the scene shows Good's vehicle blocking a road before she reversed. An agent attempted to open the driver's side door before she drove off, at which point three shots were fired. The SUV, now with a bullet hole in the driver's side windshield, careered out of control, hitting parked cars and a light pole. Good died from her injuries.
Witnesses stated that Good and her wife, Rebecca, were present as legal observers, filming a protest. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed the ICE account as "bulls**t," calling it a case of a "federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying." He reiterated his stance on social media, writing "today is a good day for ICE to get out of Minnesota."
Political Fallout and Escalating Tensions
The incident has ignited a fierce political battle. The Trump administration has defended the ICE officer's actions. In an interview with the New York Times on the evening of the shooting, President Donald Trump stated that Good "behaved horribly" and asserted, "She ran him over."
Conversely, Democratic officials in Minneapolis have labelled the shooting a murder. The case has become a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement. Secretary Noem has made it clear that ICE agents are "not going anywhere" despite demands from state and local officials for them to leave Minnesota.
It is understood that Renee Good and her wife had fled the United States after the 2024 election, spending time in Canada before settling in Minneapolis. The couple have a six-year-old child.
