How many more unsurprising tragedies can we endure: op-ed

Image credit: Minnesota Reformer

On the morning of January 7,  37-year old Renee Nicole Good was shot following what appeared to be a confrontation with ICE Agents. As seen in witness videos circulating around the internet, the officers who were engaged in an immigration related operation, stop at Good’s car parked perpendicularly, exit the vehicle approaching her car and shoot her repeatedly after Good tried to operate her vehicle. Just hours after news of her death broke, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem came out calling it an act of “domestic terrorism.” 

This incident illustrates an issue that transcends politics, it implicates human lives. This is far from the first time it’s happened; federal officers have fatally shot at least three others in the last five months. Over 30 people died being detained by Immigration in 2025, the highest number we’ve seen in two decades. It becomes more than just fear of law enforcement (sworn to protect us), but a palpable threat towards our own livelihoods. While DHS claims ICE agents work to apprehend “criminal illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” countless times the opposite has proven to be true. This year alone, more than 170 US citizens have been detained by ICE, illustrating an alarming trend pointing towards the continual erosion of our Fourth Amendment rights. The death of Renee Nicole Good is ultimately a wrongful life taken at the hands of a federal agent. What should be a period of mourning has transformed into immediate finger pointing at the “radical left” according to the Vice President JD Vance, an aggressive defense strategy completely undermining the tragedy central to the incident. 

This shocking lack of empathy in response is just one example in a concerning trend. The absence of accountability by federal agents is appalling, and we are faced with an administration who continually excuses and celebrates unconstitutional and inhumane actions under the guise of “self-defense” or even the laws they are sworn to uphold. This can be seen through the US Attorney’s offices’ unwillingness to cooperate with Minnesota officials looking to investigate further, frozen out by both the FBI and Justice Department. Governor Walz of Minnesota himself expressed concern over the accuracy of the government's investigation without state intervention, especially having seen the strong position they’d already taken. Atrocities committed by ICE agents can be seen on all corners of the internet, Good’s death has been seen by millions world-wide, yet we continue to see an administration that twists their actions into ones of heroes. Faced at a precipice of leaders who will continually defend the actions of masked agents over the lives of the people, it’s our duty to use the platform and the power we have to defend the rights of our community.