1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate accountability following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old American woman killed by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, there was "nothing to indicate that this woman was the target of any law enforcement investigation." An American citizen lost her life during an immigration enforcement operation in which she had no involvement. The Trump administration deployed more than 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis in what ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons called the "largest immigration operation ever." This massive deployment has now resulted in the death of an innocent bystander. While Department of Homeland Security officials claim the agent fired defensively, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reviewed footage of the incident and called the self-defense claim "bulls**t." When asked whether Good was driving her car as a weapon toward the ICE agent, Frey said that didn't appear to be the case. Bystander videos show officers approaching Good's car stopped on a snowy, icy road. As the vehicle began reversing, an officer with his gun drawn crossed in front of the car and opened fire. Good sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Her mother described her as "loving, forgiving and affectionate." This tragedy demonstrates the deadly consequences of militarized immigration enforcement operations in American communities. Federal agents conducting immigration investigations should not be shooting American citizens who pose no threat. Mayor Frey stated the ICE agent was "recklessly using power" that resulted in a person's death. I urge you to demand a full independent investigation into this shooting, support legislation restricting the use of deadly force by immigration enforcement agents, and oppose the deployment of massive federal immigration operations that endanger American citizens. Renee Nicole Good's death must result in meaningful accountability and policy changes to prevent future tragedies.