Portland, Minnesota immigration shootings chilling

Published 1:30 am Monday, January 12, 2026

It could happen here.

With the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement seemingly recognizing no boundaries — neither physical nor moral nor legal — the prospect of violence lingers over every community in the United States.

In Minneapolis, that prospect metastasized Wednesday in the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent while attempting to drive away in her SUV. In Portland, on Thursday, two suspects were shot by Border Patrol agents.

Details about both shootings are still being uncovered, a fact that should preclude conclusions or reactionary responses. Yet the incidents are disturbing and intensify questions about the federal government’s immigration enforcement. They also intensify doubt about the accounts provided by the federal government.

The Minneapolis shooting, which was captured on video, has been particularly inflammatory. Good apparently encountered ICE agents undertaking an enforcement action. When one agent approaches her vehicle and attempts to open the driver-side door, she attempts to drive off. Another agent then fires from in front of the vehicle, hitting and killing Good.

Indeed, if Good was ordered to step out of her vehicle, she should have complied. But the punishment — death — grossly exceeds the supposed crime.

As disturbing as the images are, the response from officials is even more troubling. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized Good as a “domestic terrorist,” a claim that appears to have no foundation in fact. President Donald Trump claimed that Good “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense,” a claim that contradicts what is shown on the video.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey denounced the characterization, saying at a press conference that it was “bull—-” and a “garbage narrative.” “This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance defended the shooting, saying the agent has “absolute immunity,” a conclusion not supported by legal experts. And federal officials have blocked Minnesota officials from taking part in the investigation of the shooting.

From what we know at this point, the most powerful people in the country are telling us to not believe what we see. Then they tell us they alone will handle the investigation and tell us what happened. And then the vice president of the United States says that law enforcement officers have immunity to do what they want.

This is an indefensible interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, yet it fits in with Trump’s persistent erosion of the rule of law. It also lends doubt to the narrative of what happened in Portland.

There, federal officials say, Border Patrol agents were conducting a “targeted vehicle stop” against an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant allegedly affiliated with a violent gang. The Department of Homeland Security says the driver “weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents” before an agent fired at the vehicle and the suspects fled. They were later found and taken to a hospital.

Is that what happened? We do not know, but there are firm reasons to not believe the account of federal officials. There also are troubling reasons to wonder where it will happen next, with federal agents apparently emboldened by an authoritarian administration.

It could happen here. And that should be a concern to all Americans.