Protests Erupt in the U.S. After Woman Dies During Immigration Service Operation

According to information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents were in the process of conducting "targeted operations" when protest participants began to interfere with their actions. The agency claims that one woman attempted to run over officers, using her vehicle as a weapon. In response, one of the agents opened fire, acting in self-defense.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen commented on the incident, stating that at the time of the event, ICE officers were stuck in the snow and were trying to maneuver around a vehicle when a group of "provocateurs" blocked their path. The woman, who Nielsen said was "pursuing" them, did not respond to demands to exit the vehicle and allegedly attempted to run over an officer. She characterized these actions as an "act of domestic terrorism" and reported that the FBI would conduct an investigation. The secretary also noted that one of the officers was struck by a vehicle and was hospitalized but was soon discharged.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the deceased was identified as 37-year-old Rene Nicole McLean Good, a local resident and U.S. citizen originally from Colorado, who had recently moved to Minnesota. Rene Good had three children: two older ones from a previous marriage (15 and 12 years old) and a six-year-old son who is now an orphan after the death of his father in 2023. According to her ex-husband, at the time of the collision, she had just dropped her son off at school and was returning home with a new partner.

Rene Good described herself on social media as a "poet, writer, wife, and mother," and her Instagram profile featured an emoji with a rainbow flag. Her ex-husband claims that she was not an activist and had never participated in protests, but rather remained a devoted Christian and focused on household duties.

After the incident, videos recorded by witnesses surfaced online. The footage shows two ICE agents exiting a pickup truck and demanding that the driver of a Honda Pilot open the door, with one of them tugging at the handle. At that moment, a third person appears on the opposite side. When the Honda Pilot begins to move, this person opens fire, making several shots from close range.

CNN, analyzing the videos, noted that the ICE officer who fired was initially positioned behind the victim's vehicle, and one of the videos shows the vehicle "making contact" with him before the first shot. The shooter managed to step aside, and two shots were fired when he was already out of the vehicle's path. The Associated Press adds that it is unclear whether there was contact between the car and the officer before the recording began.

Donald Trump, commenting on the incident, stated that he had watched the video and believed that the woman was behaving "aggressively," obstructing ICE's actions and intentionally ran over an officer, who, in his opinion, acted in self-defense. He noted that, according to the video, the officer survived and is now recovering in the hospital. Trump also added that such incidents occur against the backdrop of threats from "radical leftists" directed at ICE agents.

After the tragedy, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed dissatisfaction with ICE's actions, stating that they should leave the city. He noted that their presence, supposedly for security purposes, actually leads to tragedies like the death of the woman.

Just two days before the tragedy, the Trump administration announced the deployment of about two thousand ICE agents to Minnesota to bolster the fight against illegal immigration.

According to the Associated Press, the shooting occurred in an area south of downtown Minneapolis, less than two kilometers from where George Floyd was killed in 2020. Soon after the tragedy, city residents began to protest, demanding that ICE leave Minneapolis. By evening, thousands of people gathered for a memorial ceremony in memory of Rene Good.