Tens of thousands of demonstrators braced subzero temperatures in Minneapolis on Saturday, staging one of the largest protests in recent memory following the controversial fatal shooting of 37-year-old community volunteer Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The massive turnout, estimated by police in the tens of thousands, highlighted the deep-seated tensions surrounding federal immigration enforcement tactics and marked a critical moment in the ongoing national debate over ICE operations.
The protest, spearheaded by Indigenous Mexican dancers, proceeded toward the residential street where Good was shot inside her vehicle on Wednesday. Chants of “No justice, no peace — get ICE off our streets” reverberated through the metropolitan area of 3.8 million people as participants expressed both grief and outrage over the incident that has ignited nationwide demonstrations.
Minnesota’s Democratic leadership and the Trump administration have presented fundamentally conflicting narratives about the shooting. State officials deem the shooting unjustified, citing bystander video evidence showing Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent when shots were fired. Conversely, the Department of Homeland Security maintains the agent acted in self-defense, claiming Good attempted to weaponize her vehicle against officers.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions following the deployment of approximately 2,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area—described by DHS as its largest operation ever. These tensions were further exacerbated when a Border Patrol agent in Portland, Oregon shot and wounded two individuals during a vehicle stop attempt on Thursday, using similar justification language.
A coalition of progressive and civil rights organizations, including Indivisible and the American Civil Liberties Union, coordinated over 1,000 “ICE Out For Good” events across the nation throughout the weekend. These demonstrations were strategically scheduled to conclude before nightfall to minimize potential violence, though Minneapolis reported approximately $6,000 in property damage and 29 arrests from Friday night protests targeting hotels believed to house ICE personnel.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey emphasized the predominantly peaceful nature of the demonstrations while warning against property destruction. “We will not counter Donald Trump’s chaos with our own brand of chaos,” Frey stated, acknowledging the deliberate provocation strategy he believes the administration is employing.
The protests reflect broader national divisions over immigration enforcement that predate Good’s shooting, with Minnesota previously emerging as a flashpoint in the administration’s deportation initiatives following welfare fraud allegations within the Somali-American community.