ICE is making Minneapolis less safe say city leaders; call for immediate withdrawal

Flanked by city, state and county leaders, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey again called on ICE to vacate Minnesota following the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good.

Minneapolis leaders have resumed calls for ICE to exit the city and state and call for BCA to lead the investigation into Renee Good’s killing. 

Two days following the killing of Good, shot Jan. 7 by an ICE officer in South Minneapolis – a shooting that was captured by multiple cameras from various vantage points – leaders in the city are angered and frustrated with the federal response and by what they say is a complete lack of transparency and cooperation. 

“All we want in Minneapolis is justice and the truth,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey during a Friday morning press conference at City Hall. 

The mayor said nothing good has come from ICE’s presence in the city, and in fact it’s quite the opposite. 

“Fifty percent of the shootings thus far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE,” said Frey, noting that in the first nine days of the year there have been two reported shootings in the city including the shooting and killing of Good. “ICE is bad for business, bad for safety, bad for democracy and we want them out.”

Ward 9 Councilman Jason Chavez echoed Frey’s sentiment in calling for ICE to leave the area, saying residents are fearful to leave their homes under any circumstances. 

“ICE is kidnapping our neighbors. There are reports of neighbors being kidnapped while taking out the trash,” said Chavez. 

Renee Good, 37, shot and killed Jan. 7 by ICE officer Jonathan Ross.

Yesterday the FBI announced it would not allow Minnesota officials to be a part of any investigation into the shooting of Good, a 37-year-old mother, shot in her vehicle by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. While multiple camera angles of the shooting appear to show Good trying to drive away from ICE agents, federal officials, including President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem say Good was using her vehicle to intentionally ram into Ross. President Trump also claimed Ross was severely injured by Good during the incident. Frey called that claim nonsense. 

“He (Ross) was not injured, he was not run over … he walked out of there with a hop in his step,” said Frey. 

"After the FBI rescinded its cooperation agreement with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, our office immediately began exploring all options to ensure a state level investigation can continue,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, in a statement. “If the FBI is the sole investigative agency, the State will not receive the investigative findings, and our community may never learn about its contents.” 

Round-the-clock protests – mostly peaceful – have been going on since Wednesday’s killing, with more planned activities near the sight of Good’s killing at Portland Avenue and 34th Street. 

In addition, Minneapolis Public Schools remain closed due to safety concerns for students and staff as a result of ICE activities at Roosevelt High School just hours after Good was shot in the face and killed. The district will now offer online learning until Feb. 12 for any student that feels unsafe returning to in-person learning.