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Minneapolis on Edge After ICE Shooting 01/08 06:15
Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by
an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump
administration's latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for
people to remain calm and schools canceling classes and activities as a safety
precaution.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal
shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking
part in the Trump administration's latest immigration crackdown, with the
governor calling for people to remain calm and schools canceling classes and
activities as a safety precaution.
State and local officials demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old
Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere.
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to
the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever.
Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.
Macklin Good's killing Wednesday morning in a residential neighborhood south
of downtown was recorded on video by witnesses, and by the evening hundreds of
people came out for a vigil to mourn her and urge the public to resist
immigration enforcement. Some then chanted as they marched through the city,
but there was no violence.
"I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to
come to see it happens," said Sander Kolodziej, a painter who came to the vigil
to support the community.
The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across
the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the
handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer
standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two
shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.
It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the
officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with
ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a
curb before crashing to a stop.
In another recording made afterward, a woman who identifies Macklin Good as
her spouse is seen crying near the vehicle. The woman, who is not identified,
says the couple recently arrived in Minnesota and they had a child.
Noem called the incident an "act of domestic terrorism" against ICE
officers, saying the driver "attempted to run them over and rammed them with
her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect
himself and the people around him."
President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended
ICE's work.
Noem alleged that the woman was part of a "mob of agitators" and said the
officer followed his training. She said the FBI would investigate.
But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem's version of events "garbage."
"They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense," Frey
said. "Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is
bullshit."
He also criticized the federal deployment and said the agents should leave.
The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of
immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump
administration. Wednesday's is at least the fifth death linked to the
crackdowns.
The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced the operation's launch
Tuesday, at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali
residents.
A crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting to vent their
anger at local and federal officers.
In a scene that hearkened back to crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago,
people chanted "ICE out of Minnesota" and blew whistles that have become
ubiquitous during the operations.
Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if
necessary. He expressed outrage over the shooting but called on people to keep
protests peaceful.
"They want a show," Walz said. "We can't give it to them."
There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot Macklin
Good.
Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said
state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.
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