Don’t miss the full story from our staff writers, whose reportage is the basis of this article.
The White House has firmly rejected Democratic demands to halt immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota following a fatal ICE shooting earlier this week, with Vice President J.D. Vance declaring the administration will not “give in to terrorism.” The controversy centers on the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman killed during a confrontation with federal immigration officers.
Vance defended the ICE officer’s actions, calling the shooting justified and blaming sanctuary city politicians and left-wing activists for encouraging Good to confront officers. He accused the media of inflaming tensions by characterizing the incident as murder, stating that video evidence clearly shows the officer faced a serious threat. The vice president described Good as “brainwashed” by political leftists and said her death was “a tragedy of her own making.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took a more measured approach while still criticizing the Trump administration for creating conditions that led to the shooting. He called for federal authorities to allow state investigators to participate in the probe, arguing this would help residents accept the findings. Walz urged Minnesota residents to avoid violent protests while suggesting such unrest could justify a heavier federal response.
The incident has deepened divisions over President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Ilhan Omar, blamed Trump’s rhetoric and ICE’s “increasingly violent actions” for Good’s death. Minneapolis Mayor delivered an expletive-laden demand for federal officers to leave, while California House Speaker Robert Rivas held a moment of silence for Good, calling her “a U.S. citizen murdered by ICE.”
Demonstrations erupted across Minneapolis on Thursday, with protesters hurling snowballs, rocks and insults at both federal and local authorities. The violence prompted Minneapolis to cancel public schools Thursday and Friday due to safety concerns.
A separate incident Wednesday outside a city high school further inflamed tensions. The Minneapolis Federation of Educators claimed federal officers used tear gas and “abducted” a school staffer during an enforcement action. Homeland Security countered that officers were pursuing someone who had rammed a government vehicle, and the chase happened to end at the school. The department said a school staffer assaulted a Border Patrol agent during the arrest, and no tear gas was deployed.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner warned he would prosecute any federal officers who “commit crimes” in his jurisdiction, while Democrats nationwide seized on the Minnesota situation to criticize Trump administration immigration policies.
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
