(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and other city leaders are condemning the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an ICE operation in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday.
Wilson urged residents to sign up for the “Washington All ICE Mobilization Alerts,” a system organized by the Washington Indivisible Network, a progressive organization formed in 2016 in opposition to Trump-era policies. The broader indivisible organization and its affiliates have received funding from the Open Society Foundations, founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, whose political giving has drawn criticism from some conservative groups.
An ICE agent shot and killed Good during an ICE enforcement operation and has sparked national controversy due to conflicting accounts of the event and the federal government’s handling of the investigation. The ICE agent involved in the shooting has been identified as Jonathan Ross.
Videos of the incident show Good’s Honda Pilot SUV positioned sideways on a snow-covered street as two officers approach the vehicle, one attempting to open the driver’s-side door. The vehicle then reverses, with Ross positioned in front of it.
There is widespread divisiveness on what happens next: Good’s vehicle moves forward as Ross steps to the side and fires three shots. The SUV then veers right and crashes into other parked cars. Good was later transported by paramedics to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
“We already have laws in place that forbid the local police from aiding ICE in most instances. The police will enforce these laws,” Wilson said in a statement. “I urge you to sign up for the Washington for All ICE Mobilization Alerts. And don’t stop there. I encourage you to raise your voices and demand that every elected official does what they can to actually protect the people who make our neighborhoods home.”
Federal officials, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem publicly defended Ross. Noem described the incident as “an act of domestic terrorism,” while McLaughlin said Good attempted to run over law enforcement officers.
Democratic leaders disputed that characterization. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected claims that the officer acted in self-defense, saying after viewing the video that the federal account was inaccurate, as previously noted by The Center Square.
Protestors and other Democratic officials contend that Good was attempting to leave the scene and turned the steering wheel away from Ross, rather than trying to strike him with the vehicle.
Wilson was not the only Seattle city official criticizing ICE. Seattle City Councilmember and Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle said, “ICE’s approach to its mission actively undermines local public safety and puts our entire community at risk.”
“This tragedy was entirely preventable, and this type of reckless conduct is unacceptable – while federal law enforcement agencies have the right to conduct their duties within the city, we expect them to carry out their missions unaided by our local police, except in clear emergency situations, and in a safe manner,” Kettle said in a statement.
On the same day as the shooting, the Seattle Police Department confirmed federal law enforcement officers conducted their duties in North Seattle. Police officers documented the interaction after speaking with supervisors.
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security released statistics reporting assaults against ICE agents face a more than 1,300% increase in assaults, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against them, and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
A nationwide series of protests and actions against ICE operations and recent U.S. military action in Venezuela, organized by the May Day Strong coalition, are scheduled for Saturday, including several locations in Washington: Shoreline, Bothell, Renton and Mount Vernon.
