White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has condemned Renee Good, the woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week, as a 'lunatic.' Speaking on Monday, Leavitt said that Agent Jonathan Ross was 'absolutely justified in using self defence against a lunatic who was part of an organized group.' The comments are the latest in a series of disparaging remarks from Trump administration officials who have blamed Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, for her own death, alleging without evidence that she was a 'professional agitator.'
Good was shot while driving her SUV on a residential street in Minneapolis last Wednesday. Footage of the incident has sparked widespread protests across the US, with demonstrators in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Raleigh, Seattle, and other cities joining the Minneapolis community in grieving. Signs reading 'ICE off our streets for Good' and 'Justice for Renee Good' were seen at the marches, alongside calls for President Donald Trump's impeachment.
Amid the outcry, competing fundraising pages have been set up. A GoFundMe for Good's family has raised more than $1.5 million, while a separate account for Agent Ross's legal defence has reached $350,000. Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman contributed $10,000 to Ross's fund, stating he believes in the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty.'
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that 'hundreds' more federal law enforcement officers will be deployed to Minnesota to protect ICE and Border Patrol agents. About 2,000 federal officers are already in the Minneapolis-St Paul area in what DHS describes as its largest-ever operation. Meanwhile, state and local officials in Minnesota have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the ongoing immigration crackdown violates the Constitution.
