Recently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has had a large presence in Minneapolis. On January seventh, Renee Good was shot and killed in her vehicle by an ICE agent. Before her death, over 2,000 of these federal agents were deployed to Minneapolis to crack down on immigration enforcement following claims of welfare fraud in the Somali immigrant community. Numerous protests have since occurred in Minneapolis, with thousands of people attending. Amid these protests, nurse Alex Pretti had an altercation with ICE agents and was shot dead.
Who Was Renee Good
Renee Good, a U.S citizen, was originally from Colorado Springs. She had three children, two teenagers and a six year old son. Good, along with her family, had recently moved from Kansas City to Minneapolis. A graduate of Old Dominion University, she studied creative writing and won an undergraduate prize for one of her pieces.
The Death of Renee Good
On January 7, federal agents had just completed an “enforcement operation” when they encountered Renee Good and her wife, Becca Good, who were in the area to support their neighbors. In a press conference, head of Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that the bystanders, including Renee Good, were “preventing [the ICE agents] from leaving the scene.” There are debates, however, over whether she was trying to prevent them from leaving or if she was trying to drive away. While Good was reversing her car, agents approached, telling her to leave the vehicle. During an exchange between Good and the agent, a second officer circling the car came to the front left of Good’s Honda Pilot. As Good slowly started to turn her car, he pulled his gun and shot her three times, with a fourth bullet grazing her. Her wounds included a bullet to the chest, head, and left forearm. Roughly five minutes later, first responders arrived at the scene and began assisting Good. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was pronounced dead.
Who Was Alex Pretti
Alex Pretti, a thirty-seven-year old from Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the second U.S. citizen to be killed by ICE agents. Pretti was a graduate of University of Minnesota, with a degree in biology, society, and the environment. He later went back to school to get a nursing degree and worked as an intensive care unit nurse at Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital. He was also a competitive bicycle racer and enjoyed spending time outdoors.
The Death of Alex Pretti
Eleven days prior to his shooting, a video captured Pretti damaging the tail lights of a government SUV. A few moments later, agents exited the vehicle, surrounded Pretti and forced him to the ground. While this was happening, Minneapolis residents were shouting and others were in their cars honking, all there to challenge the government’s presence in the city. On January 24, Pretti, among many other protestors, were in the streets. Bystander video recordings show ICE agents shoving a person to the ground and Pretti trying to help them get back up. Pretti and federal agents then began to fight. He was held to the ground and beaten. At one point, Pretti, a registered gun owner with a carry permit, had his gun taken by one of the agents. While some officials initially claimed that Pretti was brandishing his gun, later video analyses show that the gun remained concealed and Pretti was not holding it. Shortly after his gun was taken, another agent proceeded to shoot Pretti several times.
The deaths of Pretti and Good marked a significant moment in the broader national conversation surrounding immigration enforcement and federal authority. Both cases have drawn widespread public attention and prompted debates and protests. Their deaths have become a focal point for the discussion about the role of law enforcement, accountability and civil rights in the United States. As investigations and policy debates continue, these events remain part of an ongoing examination of immigration enforcement and its impact on communities. 