ICE operation ends with woman shot to death in Minneapolis

An ICE agent, the Donald Trump administration’s immigration police, shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis this Wednesday (7), during a federal operation marked by aggressive approaches and allegations of abuse of power.

According to witnesses and a video record, the woman was driving her own vehicle when she was surrounded by agents from ICE, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, during an operation in south Minneapolis, in the state of Minnesota.

Images show agents approaching the car, trying to open the door by force and ordering the driver to get out of the vehicle. Frightened, the woman tried to leave the place, maneuvering at low speed.

At that moment, an agent deliberately positioned himself in front of the car, drew his gun and fired three to four times at close range. In testimony to NBC Newswitness Emily Heller stated that the shots hit the driver in the face.

The vehicle continued moving for a few meters, collided with a parked car and a pole, and the woman died at the scene.

Emergency teams were called immediately after the shooting, and the woman was placed in an ambulance and taken to a hospital, accompanied by two Minneapolis police officers.

Despite treatment, she succumbed to her injuries and was confirmed dead shortly afterwards.

The victim was identified as Renee Nicole Good, 37, a US citizen and resident of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

According to family members and local authorities, Renee was not the target of any immigration operations nor was she participating in demonstrations at the time of the episode. Mother of a 6-year-old boy, she lived legally in the United States and died during a federal action that was not aimed at her detention.

After confirming the death, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an official note in which it attributed responsibility for the episode to the victim, stating that she had driven the vehicle towards federal agents and classifying this alleged conduct as an “act of domestic terrorism”.

As cynical as the DHS note, President Donald Trump also came to the defense of his racist immigration police officer.

In a post on social media, Trump claimed to have watched videos of the episode and lied when he said that Renee had been “disorderly”, “obstructive” and “resistant”, maintaining that the ICE agent acted in self-defense after allegedly being run over.

The statement ignores video records, witness reports and criticism from local authorities, and seeks to transform the victim into an aggressor to justify the lethal violence practiced by the State.

In the end, Trump still attributed the murder to a supposed “radical left”, reinforcing the rhetoric of criminalization that supports his repressive policy within the United States.

ICE operations in Minneapolis target Somali community and increase local tension

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said City Hall had feared a violent outcome since the intensification of ICE operations in the city began. “We have feared this moment would come since the early stages of ICE’s presence in Minneapolis,” he said.

Renee’s death comes amid the largest ICE raid ever recorded in Minnesota, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) itself. Since the beginning of December, Trump’s immigration police have intensified immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and neighboring cities, with the mobilization of up to 2,100 federal agents.

According to DHS, around 1,400 people were arrested during this period, a number much higher than that recorded in previous weeks.

The ICE offensive in Minnesota primarily targeted the Somali community, which forms the largest Somali diaspora in the world. Around 80,000 people of Somali origin live in the state, the majority of whom are US citizens or legal residents.

The escalation of operations occurred after the circulation of videos and complaints promoted by conservative sectors, which accused, without proof, daycare centers and organizations linked to Somalis of embezzling public resources.

Although inspections carried out by the state government did not identify relevant irregularities, the Trump government expanded the presence of ICE in Minneapolis and neighboring cities, sending thousands of agents and intensifying raids in residential neighborhoods.

Local authorities claim that this strategy raised tension in the city, provoked protests and increased the risk of clashes, culminating in the episode that resulted in the death of Renee Nicole Good.

Frey categorically rejected the version presented by the White House, according to which the agent had acted in self-defense.

“They are already trying to present this as an act of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everyone directly: this is a lie. This was an agent using power recklessly, which resulted in the death of a person,” he said.

In an even harsher tone, the mayor demanded the immediate withdrawal of federal agents from the city.

“The justification you present for being in this city is to create some type of security. And you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being injured, families are being destroyed”, protested the mayor.

“I have a message for ICE: Get out of fucking Minneapolis. We don’t want you here,” he said.