Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday forcefully defended the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, insisting the officer acted in self-defense and was responding to what she described as an “act of domestic terrorism.”
Speaking at a news conference in New York City, Noem claimed the victim, Renee Nicole Good, had been following and harassing ICE agents during enforcement operations and used her vehicle “as a weapon” in an attempt to run over an officer. The Department of Homeland Security has repeated those assertions in public statements, despite mounting pushback from Minnesota officials and eyewitnesses.
Video footage of the shooting appears to contradict the federal account, showing Good’s vehicle turning away from the officer as shots were fired. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly rejected the DHS narrative this week after reviewing the footage himself.
“They’re already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said Wednesday. “Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: that is bullshit.”
The controversy deepened Thursday when the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension announced it was withdrawing from the investigation. In a statement, the BCA said federal officials informed the agency that the case would be led solely by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, leaving state investigators without access to evidence, scene materials, or interviews needed for an independent review.
Asked about the withdrawal, Noem denied that Minnesota authorities had been sidelined, saying the BCA “doesn’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation” and had “not been cut out,” despite the agency’s own account.
The shooting came amid an expanded federal immigration enforcement presence in Minnesota, tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents in the state. Noem said Thursday that she was “not opposed” to sending additional federal agents to Minneapolis if deemed necessary. “If necessary to keep people safe,” she said, federal resources would continue to be deployed.
Democratic leaders across Minnesota have called for ICE agents to leave the state, urging residents to remain calm and protest peacefully. Demonstrations erupted Wednesday night in cities across the country, with more anti-ICE protests planned Thursday in major hubs including New York City and Chicago.
Noem was also pressed about comments from New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who described the killing as “the latest horror in a year full of cruelty.”
“As ICE attacks our neighbors across America, it is an attack on us all,” Mamdani said in a statement. “New York stands with immigrants today, and every day that follows.”
Noem responded by saying she hoped Mamdani would “work with us” on immigration enforcement, adding that while communication with New York officials had been strained, DHS wanted to continue discussions.
As protests spread and state investigators step aside, the fatal Minneapolis shooting has become a flashpoint in the broader national fight over immigration enforcement, accountability, and the use of federal force—one now unfolding under the exclusive control of federal authorities.
