Mass Protests Erupt Across US After ICE Agent Fatally Shoots Woman in Minneapolis

Tens of thousands of people braved biting cold winds to march through Minneapolis on Saturday, condemning the fatal shooting of a woman by a US immigration agent. The demonstration was part of more than 1,000 rallies held nationwide over the weekend against the federal government’s aggressive deportation drive.

The large turnout in Minneapolis underscored the depth of public anger over the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot on Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The incident has become a flashpoint, fueling protests in major cities and smaller towns alike, while drawing sharply conflicting accounts from Minnesota’s Democratic leaders and the Republican administration of President Donald Trump.

Led by a group of Indigenous Mexican dancers, demonstrators in the Minneapolis metropolitan area—home to about 3.8 million people—marched toward the residential street where Good was shot while sitting in her car.

‘Heartbroken and Devastated’

The Minneapolis Police Department estimated the crowd at tens of thousands. Protesters chanted Good’s name and slogans such as “Abolish ICE” and “No justice, no peace — get ICE off our streets.”

“I’m insanely angry, completely heartbroken and devastated, and still hoping that things get better,” said Ellison Montgomery, a 30-year-old protester, speaking to Reuters.

Minnesota officials have described the shooting as unjustified, citing bystander video that they say shows Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent when he opened fire. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, has maintained that the agent acted in self-defense. According to DHS, Good—who volunteered with a community network that monitors and records ICE operations in Minneapolis—drove her car toward an agent after being ordered to exit the vehicle, prompting the officer to shoot.

The shooting came shortly after DHS deployed about 2,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis–St. Paul area in what it described as its largest operation ever. The move has deepened tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic leaders in Minnesota.

Those tensions escalated further on Thursday when a US Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon, shot and wounded a man and a woman during an attempted vehicle stop. DHS said the driver in that case had attempted to “weaponize” his vehicle—language similar to its description of the Minneapolis shooting.

Nationwide Rallies Planned

The two DHS-related shootings prompted a coalition of progressive and civil rights groups, including Indivisible and the American Civil Liberties Union, to organize more than 1,000 demonstrations under the banner “ICE Out For Good” across Saturday and Sunday. Organizers said rallies were scheduled to end before nightfall to reduce the risk of violence.

In Philadelphia, protesters marched from City Hall to a rally outside a federal detention facility, chanting “ICE has got to go” and “No fascist USA,” according to a local ABC affiliate. In Manhattan, several hundred demonstrators carrying anti-ICE signs walked past an immigration court where agents have arrested migrants after hearings.

“We demand justice for Renee, ICE out of our communities, and action from our elected leaders. Enough is enough,” said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible.

Demonstrations Largely Peaceful

Minnesota had already emerged as a major battleground in the administration’s immigration crackdown months before Good’s death, with Trump repeatedly criticizing the state’s Democratic leadership amid a large welfare fraud scandal involving some members of the Somali-American community.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a Saturday press conference that protests had remained mostly peaceful, though he warned that police would arrest anyone engaged in vandalism or other unlawful acts.

“We will not counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” Frey said. “He wants us to take the bait.”

City officials said more than 200 law enforcement officers were deployed Friday night after protests caused about $6,000 in damage at the Depot Renaissance Hotel and included failed attempts to enter the Hilton Canopy Hotel, which demonstrators believed was housing ICE agents.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said some protesters vandalized the Depot Renaissance Hotel with graffiti and broken windows. A gathering at the Hilton Canopy Hotel began as a “noise protest” but escalated when more than 1,000 demonstrators arrived, leading to 29 arrests.

“We initiated a plan, took our time to de-escalate, issued multiple warnings, declared an unlawful assembly, and then moved in to disperse the crowd,” O’Hara said.

Lawmakers Denied Access to ICE Facility

Earlier on Saturday, three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota—Representatives Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison and Ilhan Omar—were denied entry to a regional ICE headquarters near Minneapolis, where protests and clashes with federal agents have occurred this week. The lawmakers said the denial was illegal.

“We made it clear to ICE and DHS that they were violating federal law,” Craig told reporters outside the Whipple Federal Building in St. Paul.

Federal law bars DHS from blocking members of Congress from entering ICE detention facilities, though the agency has increasingly restricted such visits, leading to repeated confrontations with Democratic lawmakers.

“It is our job as members of Congress to ensure people in detention are treated humanely, because we are the damn United States of America,” Craig said.

Responding to the lawmakers’ claims, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the entry was denied to protect “the safety of detainees and staff” and in line with agency policy, which she said requires members of Congress to give ICE at least seven days’ notice before visiting facilities.