A 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a large-scale operation in Minneapolis on Wednesday, 7 January, sparking local outrage and contradicting official accounts of the incident.
Contradictory Accounts of a Fatal Encounter
The victim has been identified as Renee Nicole Good. According to Democratic Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar, Good was present as a "legal observer" of ICE's actions. The agency had deployed a significant number of additional agents to the city recently, partly linked to fraud allegations involving Somali residents.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed in a statement on X that the individual was a "domestic terrorist" who "weaponized her vehicle" and tried to run over officers. However, video footage from the scene appears to show the woman's SUV reversing away from agents as they approach, contradicting the official narrative.
Local Fury and Calls for ICE to Leave
The shooting occurred less than a mile from where George Floyd was murdered in 2020. In the aftermath, dozens of protesters gathered on the snowy streets, shouting at both ICE agents and local police.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, delivered a blistering response. Having viewed the video, he stated: "The Department of Homeland Security was trying to spin this as an action of self-defense... I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit." He forcefully added, "To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here."
Broader Context: US Seizures and International Withdrawals
In separate but concurrent developments demonstrating assertive federal action, the US military made a rare seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker, the Marinera, in the Atlantic after a two-week pursuit over alleged sanctions violations. The US Coast Guard also intercepted another sanctioned tanker, the M Sophia, in the Caribbean.
Furthermore, the Trump administration has sparked international controversy by announcing the United States' withdrawal from 66 international bodies. This includes the pivotal UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The State Department criticised many such organisations as "redundant, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run" or a threat to US sovereignty.
Climate experts, like Stanford University's Rob Jackson, warn this move "gives other nations the excuse to delay their own climate actions and commitments."
