(AFP) – Fresh demonstrations were planned across the United States this weekend in the wake of the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration officer in Minneapolis, as local officials slammed federal agencies for excluding them from the investigation. Protest organizers said they expected to hold more than a thousand weekend demonstrations following the killing of motorist Renee Good, 37, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Wednesday. Officials in the midwestern state of Minnesota said their law enforcement agencies have been shut out of the investigation into the shooting.
A local prosecutor said Friday that federal investigators had taken Good’s car and shell casings from the scene. The Trump administration has sought to paint Good as a “domestic terrorist,” insisting that the agent who fatally shot her was acting in self-defense. Cell phone footage apparently taken by the officer who fired the fatal shots shows him interacting with Good as he approaches and circles her car, and her saying, “I’m not mad at you.” After he passes in front of the car, another agent can be heard ordering Good to exit the vehicle before she tries to drive off and shots ring out. The agent filming the video can be heard saying “fucking bitch” at the end of the clip.
The White House insisted the video gave weight to the officer’s claim of self-defense — even though the clip does not show the moment the car moved away, or him opening fire. “This is not the time to bend the rules. This is a time to follow the law…the fact that Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice and this presidential administration has already come to a conclusion about those facts is deeply concerning,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told a briefing on Friday. “We know that they’ve already determined much of the investigation,” he said, adding that the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, within its department of public safety, has consistently run such investigations. “Why not include them in the process?” Frey said.
On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said that the ICE officer, named in US media as Jonathan Ross, had “absolute immunity” — a claim disputed by local prosecutors. Court filings seen by AFP showed that in June 2025, Ross was dragged 100 yards (91 meters) along a road by a car driven by a man who was the subject of immigration enforcement activity. “When the FBI, when the federal agencies, say they won’t share evidence with the local authorities, the public can’t trust that it’s going to be a true, transparent investigation,” said local Patrick O’Shaughnessy, 43.
Minnesota officials have said that local investigators were initially invited by the FBI to participate in the inquiry into the shooting of Good, but were subsequently blocked from taking part. Good was one of four people who have been killed by ICE since Trump launched his immigration crackdown. Good’s wife Becca Good told local media that they had gone to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to “support our neighbors.” “We had whistles. They had guns,” she said.
Local prosecutor Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, said “our goal must be that a thorough investigation is completed at the local level.” “The FBI currently has, for example, Ms Good’s car, the shell casings and witness interviews.” Moriarty unveiled an online evidence portal, calling for submissions so that all available leads could be compiled. The divide between local and federal authorities widened Friday when US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins suspended the payment of $129.2 million in federal financial agriculture awards, according to a letter she posted on X.
Federal authorities have openly clashed with Minnesota officials over allegations that Somali immigrants have committed large-scale fraud to extract public benefit funds, with Rollins accusing local officials of turning “a blind eye” to the problem. Protest action continued Friday with hundreds gathering at a federal facility that has become a focal point of anti-ICE demonstrations, with at least one detention seen. Federal immigration officers armed with pepperball guns and tear gas clashed with the noisy crowd. Several civil society organizations and advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are planning hundreds more protests on Saturday and Sunday.
– Elodie SOINARD
© 2024 AFP
