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“We continue to be at a time in this country when we need to lower the temperature of rhetoric, stop fear-filled speculation, and start seeing all people as created in the image and likeness of God.”
-Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda
A call for accountability
On Jan. 7, 2026, Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, writer and neighbor, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in south Minneapolis during a federal immigration enforcement action. The Department of Homeland Security has stated the agent acted in self-defense, claiming that Good “weaponized her vehicle.” Yet available video and witness accounts question that narrative and local leaders have publicly disputed the federal version of events.
This tragedy has shaken families and communities across the country. There have been vigils, marches and demonstrations from Minneapolis to Atlanta and Washington, D.C., as many see Renee’s death as part of a broader pattern of excessive force and aggressive immigration enforcement.
This moment calls for both reflection and action. National advocacy groups are urging Congress to strengthen oversight of federal law enforcement and ensure transparent investigations of use-of-force incidents. Tools like the Oversight Immigration Enforcement Dashboard help track reported incidents.
- Tell Congress to reject funding for unjust ICE raids here.
- Sign a petition here if you believe ICE agents must be held accountable for their actions in Minneapolis.
- Tell your elected officials to stop ICE’s aggressive attacks on immigrants and citizens with a script from 5 Calls.
- Support immigrant-led and legal advocacy organizations doing long-term work for systemic change, such as Freedom for Immigrants, FIRM Action and CASA.
Did you know?
The U.S. operates the largest immigration detention system in the world. It’s a sprawling system that often mirrors criminal incarceration, despite immigration violations being civil matters under U.S. law.
People are held not just in ICE’s own centers, but in a network of hundreds of facilities, including local jails and county prisons. A large portion of ICE detention space is in facilities run by private companies or through contracts with local jail systems.
This intertwining with for-profit operations and local governments has complex impacts on transparency, conditions and policymaking. This vast system affects not just those who are detained but entire families, workplaces and communities.
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