The new year has only just begun, and the nation has barely gotten an inch of reprieve. As tensions grow in the political and social atmospheres, so does the violence, as more and more die either at protests or during a supposed happy holiday.
One of the main causes for apprehension amongst citizens is ICE, a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It specializes in immigration enforcement; however, during these last few months, January in particular, they have shown what the agency can really do as well as its ability to pit an already divided nation against one another even more.
On January 7, 2026, news spread of a fatal encounter with a U.S citizen and ICE in Minneapolis. During an immigration raid in the city that morning, an agent opened fire on 37-year-old Renée Good’s Honda Pilot.
A couple of minutes before the first shot, Good’s car was stopped diagonally in the street, while other cars passed near it. While a group of officers headed to her car, bystanders yelled and blew whistles. As two more agents approached the vehicle, they ordered Good to exit her car. During this, one of the agents who was previously directly in front of the car circled it slightly to be alongside the front-left portion of the car.
In many videos, when Good starts to move her car forward, it is seen that she is turning it to the right, away from all of the officers. The movement prompts the ICE agent who was near the front-left of the Honda to pull out his gun and fire the first of three shots that can be heard on video. The car quickly swerves and hits a parked car along the side of the street.
More videos also include bystanders asking ICE to allow a man on site who claimed he was a physician, to check on her. The agents refused and told the crowd that they had their own medics.
The shooting quickly gained attention as the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement that claimed Good was using her vehicle as a weapon against the agents, declaring it “an act of domestic terrorism.” Similarly, Trump tweets on social media, “The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense.” Many believe that the agent who shot Good was acting in self-defense. Conversely, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, told ICE to get out of the city in a news conference later that day.
Less than three weeks after the death of Renée Good, another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was also shot in the streets by ICE agents. The 37-year-old ICU nurse is seen in many videos, intervening when an agent gets physical with a nearby civilian. Soon after the person falls to the ground, Pretti tries to put himself between the agents and the fallen civilian.
During his intervention, he is pepper-sprayed, shielding his face with one hand and carrying his phone with the other. Quickly, several agents are upon Alex Pretti and pin him while also continuing to pepper-spray him. In many videos, one of the agents can be seen removing a gun from Pretti’s hip. The family later spoke out, stating that Pretti was a licensed gun owner.
Soon after Pretti’s gun is removed and he is restrained, the first shot is fired, quickly followed by three more. As agents move away, another agent fires a shot, while another fires multiple more. In all, at least ten shots can be heard on video.
Similarly to Renée Good’s death, the DHS responds quickly, stating that the man approached border control with a handgun, and the shots were only those of defense. Many believe Pretti to be an aggressor, also declaring him a domestic terrorist like Good. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti “arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” during a news conference that day.
Minnesota is accustomed to similar acts of violence and the protests that occur as a result. Back in 2020, George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, so the city has seen the pain and devastation that such actions can cause.
While these two deaths have gained a lot of media attention in the last couple of weeks, there are plenty of deaths caused by ICE that have gone either unnoticed or barely reported. On New Year’s Eve, Keith Porter, who was a 43-year-old father of two, was killed by an off-duty ICE agent in LA, California. However, due to there being no videos, his death was overlooked.
The devastating news of the loss of life can take a toll on anybody, no matter who died. To understand the effect it has on the generation that soon gains a vote, students at HHS were asked for their opinions and reactions. Brooke Cashman stated, “The recent deaths have been devastating, but I’m proud of how communities have been showing their resilience against ICE acts, especially in Minnesota. It’s hard to believe that our government is allowing this to happen to innocent people, and U.S. citizens nonetheless.” Another student, Kristi Fickes, had similar feelings of devastation as well. “The current situation regarding ICE in this country has gotten out of hand and is inhumane. It’s a hard thing to stomach, the events happening currently,” Fickes said.
The events are gut-wrenching, knowing that they are causing the death of innocents, and an already divided country to splinter even more. People can only hope that the nation can climb its way out of the current situation and rebuild the crumbled unity.
