Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Tucson and Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both Democrats, condemned an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's fatal shooting of a Minneapolis motorist Wednesday, while two Arizona Republicans in Congress rallied behind the officer and the agency.
Federal officials said the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, was an act of self-defense, but Minneapolis' mayor described it as "reckless" and unnecessary, the Associated Press reported.
Grijalva released this statement in response to the shooting:
“The fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis is horrific and deeply troubling. From Minnesota to Arizona, ICE’s activities in our communities have only led to chaos and violence. I have witnessed this firsthand in Tucson — rather than de-escalating, they choose to agitate already volatile situations. Their presence makes our communities less safe — not more. Donald Trump and (Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem’s comments only further exacerbate the situation in Minneapolis, and are the latest example of DHS’ fact-distorting propaganda.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva
ICE is operating as a rogue agency under this administration that is accountable to no one. It is time for Congress to assert its constitutional responsibility and obligation as a co-equal branch of government by fully investigating this shooting, demanding hearings, and reining in this lawless agency. Our communities deserve safety, justice, and real accountability — and nothing less," Grijalva said.
Gallego shared an eyewitness' video of the shooting on X and commented:
"There needs to be an investigation — now. This is what happens when Stephen Miller and this administration terrorizes communities by rushing to hire their under trained and ill-equipped goon squads."
Gallego followed that up on X with: "What happened is a disgrace and we need an investigation immediately. It's clear that that agent didn't have the proper training, and that's because Stephen Miller is going full speed ahead to hire as many agents as possible." (Miller is deputy White House chief of staff and homeland security advisor.)
Sen. Ruben Gallego
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican who is running for governor, posted on X: "This is what happens when Democrats encourage violence against @ICEgov. I stand with our brave law enforcement officers as they work tirelessly to secure our homeland. I'm relieved to hear that the injured officers are expected to make a full recovery."
Rep. Andy Biggs
And Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh wrote, "As anti-ICE rhetoric from the propaganda press and radical left intensifies, so do attacks on our brave officers." Hamadeh said a bill he sponsored would double the penalty for resisting, assaulting or impeding ICE officers.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Tucson didn't offer a public reaction to the shooting and his office didn't immediately return a request for comment, The Arizona Republic reported.
The AP said videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road in a snowy residential neighborhood, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The SUV begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the SUV at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him. It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer, the AP said. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop.
Law enforcement officers attend to the scene of a fatal shooting Wednesday involving federal law enforcement agents in Minneapolis.
Noem said the woman shot engaged in an "act of domestic terrorism" and attempted "to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle." She said the FBI will investigate.
Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted Noem’s characterization as “garbage.” “They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” the mayor said.
