Anti-ICE Protests Spread Across the U.S. After Fatal Shooting of Minneapolis Woman

Protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis, Portland and other cities on Saturday as more than 1,000 anti-ICE demonstrations were planned across the United States in the aftermath of the killing of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good by an immigration agent.

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Protests and vigil gatherings erupted in Minneapolis almost immediately after Good’s shooting on Wednesday, turning into multiple days of demonstrations outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, which has acted as a headquarters for immigration agents who are conducting what federal authorities have described as an “enforcement surge” in the city.

At least 30 people were arrested on Friday evening at protests outside a Minneapolis hotel where demonstrators believed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were staying.

Read more: What We Know About the People Shot by Federal Agents in Minneapolis and Portland

Anger over Good’s killing and the shooting of two Venezuelan immigrants outside a hospital by border agents in Portland on Thursday quickly led to calls for nationwide protests.

Organizers of the ICE Out For Good rallies said the shootings demonstrated an “alarming pattern of unchecked violence and abuse by federal immigration enforcement agencies.”

“Across the country, communities will gather in nonviolent, lawful, and community-led actions to honor the life lost, demand accountability, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions,” the organizers said in a statement. Partner organizations in the protests include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

On Saturday morning, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that the “vast majority” of protests were peaceful. Frey has been a vocal advocate of ICE leaving Minneapolis, both before and after Good’s death. Minnesota Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison of Minnesota accused ICE of obstructing members of Congress conducting oversight duties after they were told to leave the facility after just 10 minutes.

“They do not care that they are violating federal law,” Craig told reporters after being turned away.

Protests took place in New York City, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and many small towns across the country.

“We cannot wait here in despair. We cannot do nothing. We cannot fall into hopelessness. ” Texas Rep. Greg Casar told protestors at an ICE Out For Good protest in Austin, Texas on Saturday. 

Cesar called for the firing of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, who has defended the ICE agent responsible for Good’s death, calling it an act of self-defense. “Kristi Noem endangers us all by creating a culture of impunity at the federal level,” Casar said.

The protests come as a new poll suggests public support for ICE is plummeting. A YouGov poll conducted the same day as Good’s killing found that 52% of respondents now either somewhat or strongly disapproved of how ICE was handling its job, compared to 39% who somewhat or strongly approved. Some 44% of adults approved of recent ICE protests, according to the poll, which surveyed over 2,600 U.S. adults. 

Last February, at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation, YouGov reported a +16 net approval rating for ICE, which dipped to -14 in November.

Good, 37, was shot while in her vehicle amid an ongoing immigration crackdown in the Minnesota city.

The White House has defended the agent who fired the fatal shots, alleging that Good tried to ram the officer and that he fired in self-defense. Videos of the encounter show an immigration agent shoot Good three times at point-blank range as she attempts to drive away after taking part in a protest. At least one of the shots appears to have been fired into the side of the vehicle. 

Good, a mother of three and a poet, was an active volunteer in a network of neighborhood patrols that organized to witness and record ICE activity in Minneapolis. She sustained gunshot wounds to the head before being transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.