Renee Nicole Good shooting casts scrutiny on ICE’s use of deadly force | Minnesota ICE shooting
The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis shed light on ICE’s use of force policies and whether the federal agent who shot her will face an impartial investigation or consequences for his actions.
The agency currently has less oversight of use-of-force incidents than local police departments and has long resisted efforts to explain its use-of-force policies.
Since Trump began a crackdown on immigration last year, federal immigration officers have been involved in 16 shooting incidents, according to data compiled by Trace, a publication that covers gun violence.
ICE officers are required to receive training in de-escalation, according to guidelines issued in 2023 by the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency. The policy specifically prohibits agents from shooting at the driver of a moving vehicle, except to protect themselves from death or serious injury. document also bars The use of lethal force to stop a fleeing person unless the person poses a serious threat to the officer or the general public.
However, the bar for charging federal law enforcement officers, who have broad immunity from liability for actions related to their duties, is very high. The White House appears to be raising the bar even higher.
Although the FBI has only just begun investigating the incident, many prominent voices within the Trump administration have defended the agent’s action as self-defense. Trump said incorrectly Interview with the New York Times o Good “crushed him”. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Good of “domestic terrorism.” J.D. Vance wrote to x That Ross was “defending his life against a deranged leftist who was trying to crush him.”
But video reconstruction of the incident It looks like this by the New York Times It shows that the car did not hit Ross and that Good was trying to flee the area rather than running over the officers.
The shot was filmed by several bystanders and shows ICE officers approaching an SUV where Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was parked in the middle of the street. The officers appeared to be approaching him aggressively from the beginning. A police officer with his face covered yelled “get out of the fucking car” and repeatedly tried to pull open the driver’s door. He appeared to be trying to unlock the door by reaching his other hand through the open window.
In the footage released Friday, Good can be heard speaking to agents and calmly saying, “I’m not mad at you,” moments before he was shot three times as he retreated.
The officer who shot Good was identified as Jonathan E Ross, an ICE veteran with a decade of experience who was involved in a separate arrest that resulted in a suspect being dragged by his vehicle.
It was not immediately clear whether agents had the authority to stop Good. ICE agents have broad authority to detain people in the course of their immigration enforcement duties, including those who impede their operations. But ICE’s deportation agents do not enforce traffic laws and generally do not target U.S. citizens.
“They have no authority to interfere with routine traffic violation enforcement,” said César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, a law professor at the Ohio State University College of Law in Columbus. Instead of engaging in a shootout, García Hernández could have had the officers follow Good or simply note her license plate number and call her later: “So one of the things that I hope the investigation will eventually uncover is what was the motive for the initial encounter between the various officers and this woman whose life was lost.”
The attack sparked widespread condemnation. DHS defended its agents’ actions, saying in a statement: “ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and receive regular use of sustained force training.”
Experts and lawmakers pushed back, saying officers could have done more to deescalate the situation.
Minneapolis city councilman Jason Chavez called the attack a “clear violation of force.”
“Everyone should know how to deescalate a situation, and ICE is no exception,” Chavez said. “Unfortunately, ICE has no idea how to de-escalate the situation.”
“The use of force was not justified because the basis for it was absolutely frivolous,” said Stephen Yagman, an attorney with decades of experience suing police officers for unlawful shootings. “The same rules apply to ICE as they apply to anyone who uses force within the police force.”
The White House’s vocal defense of the officer raised doubts that federal authorities would impartially investigate the agents’ actions and discipline them if allowed to do so.
ICE has historically resisted disclosing its training policies for agents in the field. Agency updated It released its guidance on the use of force in 2023 but declined to disclose details in response to Trace’s reporting. When mandated under the Freedom of Information Act, ICE Foia officers I corrected all but two sentences 13 page document
But regardless of whether Ross acted legally in killing Good, the chances of him being prosecuted appear slim.
The FBI has already taken the unusual step of limiting cooperation with local law enforcement, which also has the authority to file criminal charges against Ross if necessary. But without access to evidence, local authorities will have a hard time bringing charges.
“The federal government does not consider what the officer did as a crime,” Yagman said.
Good’s family has the opportunity to file a civil lawsuit against ICE under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
