State and Local Officials, Community Demand “ICE Out!”
By Bill Scheer
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, January 12, 2026 — Two days ago, tens of thousands of people, according to unofficial police estimates, took to the streets here to protest the killing in cold blood of a legal observer by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. It was the latest of angry protests that have erupted in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul and one of half a dozen that took place in the area also on January 10.
Three days earlier, on January 7, Renee Nicole Good was gunned down by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. She was observing and documenting a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis. Good was shot while attempting to drive away from the scene.
Within hours, thousands of people gathered in the residential neighborhood near the site of the shooting to demand accountability and justice. Protests have been ongoing since. They show no sign of subsiding.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, ICE agents prevented a physician at the scene from providing CPR and did not render aid to Good themselves.
The administration of U.S. president Donald Trump rushed to blame Good. On the day of the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted on its X account, “Today, in an act of domestic terrorism, an anti-ICE rioter weaponized her vehicle against law enforcement.”
Video evidence and witness testimony have shown this claim is a blatant lie.
But in an attempt to mask reality and cover up the truth, U.S. government officials have doubled down on the Big Lie.
“She [Good] behaved horribly,” Trump told the New York Times hours after the shooting. “And then she ran him over. She didn’t try to run him over. She ran him over.”
U.S. vice president J.D. Vance jumped in to blame Minnesota governor Tim Walz and the “radical left” for the killing, stating the shooter has immunity. He claimed Good was part of a “broader left-wing network” that uses “domestic terror techniques” to target federal agents.
Tensions are escalating and outrage is growing as working people in the Twin Cities have been the target of the largest anti-immigrant operation to date, involving approximately 2,000 federal agents, with more reportedly on the way. Meanwhile, multiple videos shared by witnesses show federal agents using pepper spray and tear gas, forcibly grabbing protesters, and attempting to prevent people from recording arrests.
State, local officials stand up to Trump administration
There has been a significant and angry response from state and local authorities, as officials in Washington continue to press the Big Lie that this is a case of “domestic terrorism.” The White House has used this incident to further the idea that federal law enforcement is empowered to operate with impunity, including individual officers acting as judge, jury, and executioner by carrying out the death penalty in the streets.
“I’ve seen the video,” governor Walz posted on social media. “Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”
Trump administration officials initially agreed to a joint investigation into the shooting alongside Minnesota law enforcement. But the FBI abruptly blocked Minnesota agencies from access to evidence, a move that infuriated local authorities. This action made it clear that the evidence does not support the broader framework of the Big Lie used to justify the assault on constitutional rights and on immigrant workers, not just in Minnesota, but nationwide.
“People in positions of power have already passed judgment,” Walz charged.
The following day, Noem reiterated her claims that Minnesota and Minneapolis officials have failed to maintain order and have no right to investigate the ICE killing.
“They have not been cut out,” DHS secretary Kristi Noem told a reporter who had asked about state investigators. “They don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”
Meanwhile, U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi threatened those continuing to resist the thuggish ICE raids. “Obstructing, impeding, or attacking federal law enforcement is a federal crime,” Bondi said. “So is damaging federal property. If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Do not test our resolve.”
‘Reckless ICE mobilization’ with ‘predictable,’ ‘avoidable’ outcome
“We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt,” Walz told reporters. “What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines, and conflict. It’s governing by reality TV and today that recklessness cost someone their life.”
Walz called the federal law enforcement presence in Minnesota “a reckless ICE mobilization” and said Good’s killing was “predictable” and “avoidable.”
Minneapolis is a “sanctuary city” and home to the largest Somali population in the United States. But its mayor Jacob Frey is a moderate who has repeatedly clashed with the more left-leaning city council. Nevertheless, at a press conference immediately following the shooting, he stated, “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets and, in this case, quite literally killing people.”
Frey continued: “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense…. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.”
To ICE, he said, “Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead.”
Walz said the Trump administration wants “a show” and urged Minnesotans to exercise their First Amendment rights, but to do so peacefully. “Do not take the bait. Do not allow them to deploy federal troops into here. Do not allow them to invoke the Insurrection Act. Do not allow them to declare martial law.”
Walz has placed the Minnesota National Guard on high alert.
After being stonewalled by federal officials, Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty and Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison announced at a January 9 news conference they were launching an independent investigation into Good’s killing. Moriarty appealed to members of the community who have information and video or photo evidence of the shooting to submit it to her office, making available a QR code link to the form for submissions.
High school walkouts and resident watch networks
The same day Good was killed, officials at Roosevelt High School reported that armed U.S. border patrol agents entered school property while students were leaving for the day. When angry students, parents, neighbors, and school staff began protesting, agents tackled individuals, handcuffed two staff members, and pepper sprayed bystanders who objected, according to school officials and witnesses.
Border patrol commander Greg Bovino, a key player in ICE actions in Chicago, North Carolina, and elsewhere, was present during the operation.
ICE spokespeople claim they weren’t targeting the school but were pursuing a car when they were on school grounds.
A school administrator told Minnesota Public Radio, however, he was knocked to the ground after asking agents to leave school grounds. “They don’t care, they are just animals,” the administrator said. “I’ve never seen people behave like this.”
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators said one of its members at the school was arrested and later released. In a statement, the union emphasized, “We will not tolerate ICE inhibiting our city’s youth from their constitutional right to attend school safely or inhibiting educators from doing their jobs.”
A large number of Roosevelt High School students come from immigrant families.
Minneapolis public schools closed for the remainder of the week, with administrators citing “an abundance of caution.”
Nevertheless, most schools in St. Paul and the suburbs remained open. Students have organized walkouts in at least four.
At Irondale High School, the Minneapolis Star Tribune estimated 200-400 students navigated slippery sidewalks and snowbanks to walk from the school to the local community center and back. They chanted, “What do we want? ICE to be gone. When do we want it? Now!”
In St. Cloud, a city 60 miles northwest of Minneapolis, local media reported that 50 students walked out at Apollo High School.
At North High in North St. Paul, dozens of students marched holding handmade signs and chanting, “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t have any fear!”
However, two St. Paul teachers this reporter met at a January 10 protest in St. Paul described fear and anxiety among students. They noted a decline in attendance. Students appear to be more tense, they explained, adding that students care about and support each other despite having mixed political views.
Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, shifted to flex learning because of a threat of ICE activity. Minneapolis schools have decided to offer e-learning for a month to students who stay home.
Throughout the Twin Cities and suburbs people are mobilizing to protect their neighbors in multiple ways. These include ICE watch networks, escorts to schools and places of worship, delivering groceries, and rapid response teams.
Sandi Sherman, a local volunteer, reports that her rapid response network has become overwhelmed by the number of people coming forward to help. Her team is organized through a Signal App and has already reached the platform’s limit of 1,000 maximum users.
A January 8 evening training for new volunteers had 410 registrants. The Immigrant Defense Network, which organized the meeting, announced plans for a regional training tour spanning 30 towns and cities across Minnesota and neighboring states, where immigrant labor plays a big role in local economies.
Trump administration uses fraud hearings to stigmatize Somalis
Latin Americans constitute the largest immigrant group in Minnesota and are those most directly targeted for arrest and deportation. But the Trump administration’s rhetoric has mostly focused on the Somali community, most of whom are U.S. citizens or legal residents.
The timing of the ICE surge coincides with fraud hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where pro-Trump politicians and pundits are using racist and inflammatory language to stigmatize Somalis, undermine public solidarity, and justify harsh immigration crackdowns.
The White House is weaponizing fraud investigations in states run by Democrats. Last week, Trump announced he was freezing approximately $10 billion in federal funding to Minnesota and four other Democratic-led states, citing alleged fraud. The affected funds support programs providing childcare, food assistance, and other services for low-income working-class families.
Working people here and elsewhere have expressed anger over documented cases of large-scale fraud, including the “Feeding Our Future” scheme, which pilfered nearly $250 million in Covid pandemic funds intended to feed children. Nearly 60 people — most from Somali backgrounds — have been convicted or have pleaded guilty in connection with that case, including program founder Aimee Bock, who is white. Investigations are ongoing and may uncover additional fraud totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Under pressure from these revelations, Walz announced he was ending his re-election bid.
‘It Coulda Been You’
Despite this scandal, polling and public demonstrations continue to indicate broad opposition to the scope and severity of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown.
The depth of opposition is also reflected nationally.
The evening ICE killed Good, protests and vigils were organized on short notice from New York City to Chicago, and Los Angeles; from Seattle, Washington; to Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Greenville, South Carolina.
“It Coulda Been You” read the lead banner during the anti-ICE protest in Knoxville, Tennessee, the evening of January 7.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO, several trade unions, and other labor organizations have issued statements condemning ICE. Chicago Teachers Union president Stacey Davis Gates called ICE the “foot soldiers in a billionaire-led campaign to destroy our communities and silence our resistance.”
Statements demanding the removal of ICE from U.S. cities came from the Service Employees International Union, Laborers International Union (LIUNA) of Minnesota and North Dakota, the National Nurses Union, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, and Education Minnesota, the state teachers’ union. The United Farmworkers posted an online vigil to the memory of Renee Good and others whose lives were lost at the hands of ICE and the border patrol.
Fueled by yet another shooting by ICE on January 8, this time in Portland, Oregon, in which two people were wounded, the response to the Minneapolis killing has mushroomed.
Indivisible — a network that played a prominent role in organizing the “No Kings” mass rallies last year — reported that 35,000 people joined an emergency call the evening after the shooting in Minneapolis to discuss a response. The network issued a call for an “ICE Out for Good” Weekend of Action on January 10 and 11.
At least six actions took place as part of this call in the Twin Cities area, including the massive January 10 demonstration in Minneapolis. Among them was one across the river in St. Paul. There, a cacophony of car horns greeted a few hundred anti-ICE protesters who lined a busy street.
The St. Paul protest was not the first for Maggie Brazile, a Tartan High School sophomore, who brought a homemade sign with a quote from Elie Wiesel, “No Human Race is Superior; No Religious Faith is Inferior.” Wiesel (1928–2016) was a Romanian-born U.S. writer, professor, and Holocaust survivor who was awarded the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize and inspired the creation of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Brazile said she participated in a December 19 school walkout, which she estimated “between 200 to 400” students joined. Discussion is on-going about organizing another walkout, she explained. But there is concern about ICE activity, she added, because “a majority of the students are Black, Latino and more likely to be profiled.”
Another demonstrator identified herself as the grandmother of a Roseville High School student. She said she joined a “ring around the high school” on January 9, an action organized by parents to protect their kids after hearing reports of ICE activity in the area.
Alongside these Minnesotans, demonstrators took to the streets across the United States in cities large and small on January 10. From Boise, Idaho, to Durham, North Carolina, they demanded “ICE Out for Good.”
In Portland, Oregon, protester Glenn Hoerner said, “It’s pretty simple for me. I’m a Brown man in a situation where Brown people are getting rounded up. American citizens. Seeing people who look like me just being taken just pisses me off. We can’t fix anything until we have basically secret police off the streets.”
Awareness is growing that militarized actions like the one that resulted in the death of Renee Nicole Good are ultimately aimed at intimidating and suppressing anyone defying the burgeoning autocracy in Washington.
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Categories: Immigration / Refugees, Labor Movement / Trade Unions, US Politics
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