A US immigration agent kills a woman in a raid in Minneapolis

WashingtonOutrage and mourning in Minneapolis over the death of a 37-year-old woman at the hands of an immigration (ICE) agent during the massive raids in the city. The Department of Homeland Security claims the woman was trying to run over the agents participating in the operation and accuses her of "domestic terrorism," but a video circulating on social media shows her driving at low speed when an agent shot her three times, killing her. The footage has sparked outrage from the city's mayor and hundreds of residents who have protested near the streets where the incident occurred.

"They're already trying to pass it off as self-defense. After seeing the video myself, I want to say it directly to everyone: this is bullshit (bullshit“This is a fabricated story,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey declared at a heated press conference following the incident, rejecting the notion that the shooting was in self-defense. Visibly angry, Frey asserted that the DHS version was a “made-up story.”

The images show the woman's vehicle, a burgundy Honda Pilot, stopped on the road, perpendicular to the flow of traffic. Immediately afterward, a van stops in front of it and two ICE agents... both with their faces covered with balaclavasThey get out to approach. "Get out of the car!" an officer shouts, hurling insults and trying to open the door next to the driver. One of the officers already has the door handle, while the vehicle reverses slightly before attempting to move forward, slowly turning to the right. It appears she is trying to leave. But as it starts to move forward, a third officer, who was standing in the street near the front of the Honda, draws his weapon and fires three shots at the driver. The car then continues out of control for a few meters before crashing into another parked vehicle. Visibly enraged, Frey denounced ICE for sowing chaos in the city since they deployed more than 2,000 agents in a massive operation against the Somali community. "You've ruined Minneapolis," the Democratic mayor said, addressing the police force directly. Although it doesn't appear that the Department of Homeland Security—which oversees ICE—will withdraw its personnel after the incident.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said at a press conference called in response to the incident that the raids will not stop despite the event. Noem insisted that the officer acted in self-defense against an act of "domestic terrorism." "Our officer followed his training and did exactly what he was taught to do in such a situation," she argued, dismissing the mayor's complaint. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. It's clear how this individual was harassing and obstructing the officers." The DHS Secretary explained that the man was treated at the hospital and has already been released. He will also remain on active duty, she said.

In a further development in the repressive policies that the administration has adopted in response to any type of dissent or protest, Noem has announced that she will ask the Department of Justice to "prosecute as domestic terrorism" the use of cars in the context of operations. "People must stop using their vehicles as weapons. This domestic terrorism must end. I am asking the Department of Justice to prosecute it as domestic terrorism because it is clear that this is a coordinated effort. People are being trained and instructed on how to use their vehicles to obstruct law enforcement operations," she said, describing the situation as dystopian.

Donald Trump has interrupted his hyperactive imperialist agenda to make a post on Truth Social and close ranks with his Department of Homeland Security. The president claims he has seen the video and that the woman "was driving violently, willfully, and maliciously into the ICE agent." Although Noem said the officer was released from the hospital, Trump added fuel to the fire, saying, "It's hard to believe he's alive, but he's now recovering in the hospital." As usual, he pointed to "the radical left" as the evil and the cause of everything that happened.

The victim, a young mother

The victim has already been identified by the local newspaper Star TribuneHer name is Renee Nicole Good, and she lived just a few meters from where the agent shot her the fatal times. Her mother, Donna Ganger, identified her. According to the media outlet, the woman had been married to Timmy Ray Macklin Jr., who died in 2023 at the age of 36. Macklin's father told the newspaper that Good and his son had a son, who is now six years old. According to reports, the woman was observing one of the ICE raids as part of community initiatives that have emerged to monitor the behavior of federal agents during anti-immigration operations. This is a very common practice that residents of other cities targeted by ICE, such as Chicago and Washington, have also undertaken to ensure there are eyewitnesses in cases of police violence or abuse. Since September, ICE has been able to detain people based on racial profiling—a Supreme Court ruling authorizes this—and A large proportion of the arrests are made against individuals with a Latin American appearance or Black. Good was a white citizen, which further underscores how ICE is mutating under the Trump administration into a police force that goes beyond supposed immigration control.

Minnesota Governor and former Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has also rejected the government's claim that it was an act of self-defense. "What we're seeing are the consequences of a style of governance designed to generate fear, headlines, and conflict," Walz stated. "It's governing like a reality show. And today, that recklessness cost someone their life." The Democrat recently announced that he would not seek reelection.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been unequivocal about the events: "What we have seen today is the murder of a woman as she tried to flee for her life. What we have seen today is the manifestation of every American's worst nightmare: their government becoming... Ocasio-Cortez warned that "ICE has not only become an anti-immigration force," but also "a paramilitary organization."

The large-scale operation comes amid a campaign of harassment against the Somali community in Minneapolis. The Midwestern city is home to the largest diaspora from this East African country. Since December, Somalis in the city had been anxiously awaiting the administration's fulfillment of its threat to deploy a large-scale raid. All of this amidst hateful rhetoric from the president, who went so far as to call Somalis "trash" during an appearance at the White House. The president also... He seized upon a video posted by a conservative content creator, which claimed without evidence that Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota were fraudulently taking advantage of funds intended for children from low-income families.

The Trump administration's focus on the city is also related to another campaign of pressure and attacks against Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She represents the left wing of the Democratic Party, known in Congress as the "Squad," which also includes Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In a December 31 post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that "much of the fraud in Minnesota, up to 90%, is caused by people who came into our country illegally from Somalia" and labeled Omar a "con artist." The message ended with the following appeal: "Go back to where you came from, Somalia, perhaps the worst and most corrupt country on Earth."