L.A. clergy, protesters denounce ICE fatal shooting in Minneapolis

A day after a woman was killed by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, clergy leaders and advocates gathered on the steps of the federal immigration building in downtown Los Angeles to honor the woman and condemn the murder.

Holding photos of Nicole Renee Good, a woman shot in the head by a federal immigration officer, a crowd of about 100 people gathered Thursday morning for a vigil organized by the Alliance of Clergy and Laity for Economic Justice and attended by immigrant rights groups. They held signs that read “Justice for Renee.”

“We stand bearing the fear, the terror and the sadness, the deep grief that has arisen needlessly,” said the Rev. Francisco Garcia. “Murder committed with our tax dollars. State-sanctioned. This cannot happen, this is intolerable, and we offer our testimony that continues to stand against this brutality, this evil.”

One woman held a sign that read, “End ICE death squads.”

Good morning my baby, mother of three who recently moved to MinneapolisHe was stopped by federal immigration officers while driving Wednesday morning. Footage of the shooting spread online, and as Good, 37, is told to get out of his car, an agent can be seen walking up to the door handle and peeking. He is seen retreating when another agent stops in front of his car and shoots him when he appears to be moving forward.

Good’s death sparked protests that put the city on edge as protesters took to the streets, and similar protests spread across the country.

in sacramento, Police say protesters were attacked A federal building during a march in response to the attack. Television station KCRA reported that the protest was largely peaceful, down to a small group of protesters. He pushed open a security door He threw stones at parked vehicles and the building.

Holding a photo of Renee Nicole Good, Ampara Rincon watches as protesters lay flowers in memory of Good, a day after she was shot and killed by an ICE agent in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on January 8, 2026, in Minneapolis.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

In San Francisco, hundreds of people marched through the city center on Wednesday, chanting “Trump must go.” According to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Trump administration defended the agent’s action; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers and accused Good of trying to run over the agent.

The administration has argued for months that federal immigration actions are necessary to fulfill Trump’s mandate to secure the borders. On Thursday, DHS released statistics that officials said show ICE agents are facing an increase in vehicular assaults.

Local leaders disputed the administration’s narrative that the agents were defending themselves as Good tried to run them over, while Mayor Jacob Frey called that claim a “garbage story.” He called on the agency to withdraw its agents from the city.

After immigration raids began in Los Angeles last year, clergy held vigils and marches in the city center for months. The Rev. Carlos Rincon said that although Minneapolis was nearly 3,900 miles away, Good’s death was felt across the country and they felt compelled to speak out this time.

“This is a life taken in a terrible way,” Rincon said. “I felt it was very important to be there, to lament, to pray, but also to condemn. You know what this administration is doing because it’s coming from the President.”

Rincon, himself an immigrant, said he attended the protests to testify. When a massive protest broke out at the Paramount last year, Rincon was there with a Bible in hand and dressed in clergy regalia to help de-escalate the conflict. Instead, he said, he was shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed by agents. Violent clashes between federal immigration agents and bystanders continued, and Rincon feared such a moment was inevitable.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our community, and I wanted to honor him,” he said.

For many, the shooting was a sign of escalating tensions by the administration, which they say is turning against its own citizens. ICE agents opened fire while stopping immigrants in California. On Aug. 16, masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers surrounded a man driving his truck and smashed the driver’s side window. When he tried to drive away, an agent shot the truck three times, leaving bullet holes in the side of the car.

Dozens of people attended the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2026.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

In December, an ICE agent shot a man in South Los Angeles and injured a U.S. marshal who was struck by a ricocheting bullet.

In Chicago, Border Patrol agents shot a woman several times after she accused her of crashing her vehicle into an agent’s car. He was charged with aggravated assault, but the charges were eventually dropped.

“We are experiencing the fascism of a government that is at war with its own citizens,” said Martha Arevalo, CARECEN LA general manager. “It’s an unprecedented attack that we’re seeing all across the country, and it’s an attack on all of us, whether undocumented or citizens, it doesn’t matter. We’re all at risk. We should all be concerned. We should all be outraged.”

L.A. resident Kelsey Harper said she was outraged and shocked when she learned of Good’s death. He felt compelled to attend the event and support an end to immigration raids and violent conflict.

“This will only end if enough people get active on this issue,” Harper said. “The most we can do is support each other.”