Outrage over ICE killing spills over nationwide as protests erupt across US cities

A wave of protests swept cities across the US on Saturday after the killing of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, as demonstrators demanded justice for Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and called for federal immigration authorities to leave their communities.

The nationwide response followed her death earlier in the week and unfolded from Minneapolis to major cities including Los Angeles, New York, Washington, DC, El Paso and Boston.

Minneapolis at the centre of demonstrations

In Minneapolis, snow flurries fell as thousands gathered in parks, along residential streets and outside federal buildings, chanting Good’s name. Her death has become a focal point of national anger over the tactics used by federal authorities in US cities during President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

More than 1,000 demonstrations were planned nationwide over the weekend by the “ICE out for good” national coalition of advocacy groups. The coalition said the protests were organised in response to “the escalation of ICE violence in our communities,” including the fatal shooting of Good and what it described as a “months-long pattern of unchecked violence and abuse in marginalized communities across America”.

More from World

Trump administration claims Minneapolis shooting was self-defence. How video exposes the lie Watch | Harrowing footage of seconds before Minnesota woman was killed by ICE agent, says 'I'm not mad at you'

“The response to ICE’s horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good is loud, peaceful, and inescapable,” coalition member group Indivisible said in a Saturday Facebook post, which included images of protests from multiple cities. The coalition added that all gatherings were intended to be “nonviolent, lawful, and community-led” actions to honour those who have died in ICE confrontations and to demand accountability.

Federal response and security measures

Amid the unrest, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “hundreds more” Customs and Border Patrol officers would be sent to Minneapolis. Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, she said additional officers would arrive over the next two days to allow ICE and Border Patrol personnel in the city to operate safely.

After Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly condemned the shooting last week and urged ICE agents to leave the city, Noem told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that Frey and other leaders needed to tone down their rhetoric.

Quick Reads

View All

Truck drives into crowd at anti-Iran regime protest in Los Angeles, two injured

UK, Germany discuss Nato forces in Greenland after Trump asks US special forces to plan invasion

In a separate interview with Tapper on Sunday, Frey stood by his remarks, describing the officer who shot Good as “a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying”. He called for a “neutral” and “unbiased” investigation into the incident.

“And by the way, I shouldn’t be the one conducting the investigation, nor should Kristi Noem, but you should have an entity that is able to do it with some common sense and operating in reality,” he said.

Marches trace path of previous protests

Saturday’s protests in Minneapolis began at Powderhorn Park, a historic site for demonstrations and a central gathering point during the 2020 protests following the killing of George Floyd. From there, thousands marched through nearby neighbourhoods before converging on the street where Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot on Wednesday morning.

As temperatures hovered near 20 degrees, demonstrators shared blankets and hot drinks while holding signs reading “ICE will melt” and “It’s not very pro-life to kill our neighbours.” Chants of Good’s name echoed through the park and surrounding streets as the march continued.