Nationwide ‘ICE Out For Good’ Vigils Confront Deadly Federal Shootings in Minneapolis and Portland
Hundreds of vigils and protests are unfolding across the United States this weekend in response to two high‑profile shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis and Portland, incidents that have intensified public anger over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy and raised fresh questions about the use of deadly force by ICE and Border Patrol agents.[1][2][4]
Coast‑to‑coast response under ‘ICE Out For Good’ banner
Activists, immigrant rights organizations and civil liberties groups have quickly mobilized a wave of demonstrations under the slogan “ICE Out For Good”, organizing marches, candlelight vigils, and rallies scheduled throughout the weekend in dozens of cities nationwide.[1] Groups including Indivisible affiliates, the Disappeared in America Campaign, Voto Latino and the American Civil Liberties Union are coordinating events intended to memorialize the victims and call for structural accountability for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enforcement agencies.[1]
Organizers say the goal is twofold: to center the lives of those shot by federal agents and to highlight what they describe as a pattern of escalating violence by immigration authorities. “Good and the victims in Portland represent a troubling pattern of violence by federal enforcement agencies,” organizers told Axios, arguing that recent shootings reflect a broader culture of impunity.[1]
Minneapolis: Killing of Renee Nicole Good sparks outrage
The latest unrest was ignited Wednesday in Minneapolis, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37‑year‑old U.S. citizen, as she drove past immigration officers on a snowy city street.[1][3] Federal officials have characterized the shooting as an act of self‑defense, alleging that Good attempted to flee and used her vehicle as a weapon against officers.[1][4]
That account has been sharply contested by state and local leaders. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he had viewed video of the incident, has publicly rejected DHS’ description, calling it “sadly predictable” under the administration’s aggressive immigration policies.[1][4] In an op‑ed, Frey wrote that the shooting underscores the dangers of deploying large numbers of federal agents into local communities and urged ICE and federal officers to “get the [expletive] out” of his city.[1]
The American Immigration Council has noted that Good’s family is now weighing potential legal action, highlighting the complex legal barriers families face when attempting to sue federal agencies over wrongful death claims involving immigration enforcement.[3] The incident has also drawn scrutiny because Good was reportedly unarmed and in her vehicle when shot, echoing other recent cases in which federal officers opened fire on drivers.[4]
Portland: Border Patrol shooting leaves two hospitalized
Less than 24 hours after Good’s killing, U.S. Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, opened fire during what DHS has described as a “targeted vehicle stop”, shooting two people and sending them to the hospital.[1][2] DHS officials say the agents were acting in self‑defense against suspected gang members, a claim protesters and some local advocates have questioned, citing a history of disputed official narratives in prior shootings.[2][4]
The Portland shootings quickly drew crowds to the city’s ICE facility, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered Thursday night for protests and a separate vigil outside City Hall.[2] At least six people were arrested during protests that continued into the night, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, as demonstrators demanded transparency, release of full footage, and an independent investigation into the agents’ actions.[2]
Pattern of force under Trump’s intensified operations
The Minneapolis and Portland incidents are the latest in a series of deadly encounters involving ICE and Border Patrol in recent months. According to reporting by The Marshall Project, federal officers have fatally shot at least three other people in the past five months, including a Chicago cook, a man in Rio Grande City, Texas, and a New Year’s Eve shooting by an off‑duty ICE agent in Los Angeles.[4] In many of these cases, authorities similarly claimed that vehicles were used as weapons or that officers were facing imminent threats.[4]
The New York Times has reported that in the last four months alone, federal officers have fired on at least nine people while they were in vehicles, with officials again arguing that the drivers were attempting to strike officers with their cars.[4] Video evidence and witness accounts have disputed law enforcement versions of events in several of those cases, intensifying public skepticism about DHS justifications for deadly force.[4]
Axios reports that since President Trump intensified Homeland Security initiatives in early 2025, there have been at least seven shootings involving federal law enforcement officers.[1] The Minneapolis shooting came as more than 2,000 federal agents were deployed to Minnesota in what officials have described as the administration’s largest immigration operation to date, tied to a welfare‑fraud crackdown in the state.[5]
Trump administration doubles down as internal doubts surface
The White House has largely stood by its agents and their use of force. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios that protesters should be aware that interfering with federal enforcement officers is a crime and warned that “those committing crimes will face the full consequences of the law.”[1] DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, referencing newly released footage, argued that using a vehicle to try to harm officers constitutes “an act of domestic terrorism” that will be prosecuted accordingly.[5]
Publicly, administration officials have framed ICE and Border Patrol personnel as under siege. Border “czar” Tom Homan praised agents as “heroes” and insisted they have a right to self‑defense, declining to criticize the shootings while investigations are underway.[5]
Behind the scenes, however, some figures close to the administration acknowledge the political risks. One senior official told Politico that the Minneapolis shooting is “highly problematic and not a good look and not something our government should be remotely engaged in,” warning that the government’s posture could undermine public confidence in the investigative process.[5] That official suggested that, while the Portland operation might be easier to defend as a targeted action, the close timing of both incidents will make it difficult for the public to separate them.[5]
Local and state officials push for independent scrutiny
Officials in Minnesota and Oregon are pressing for greater access to evidence and a greater role in the investigations. Minnesota leaders have accused federal authorities of hindering state investigators examining Good’s death, even as DHS and the Department of Justice conduct their own internal reviews.[5] In Oregon, state authorities have opened a separate inquiry into the Portland shootings, adding another layer of oversight to the DHS investigation.[5]
Advocates argue that federal agencies should not investigate themselves in cases where their own officers used lethal force. Civil rights groups are calling for independent prosecutors, full release of body‑camera and surveillance footage where available, and congressional hearings on the pattern of shootings by immigration agents.[1][3][4]
Protesters demand accountability and policy change
Across this weekend’s “ICE Out For Good” events, organizers are channeling grief and anger into a broader critique of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. Demonstrators are calling for sweeping changes, from stronger limits on when agents may use deadly force, to curbs on large‑scale immigration raids, to reconsideration of the federal role in local policing.[1][3]
For many families and community members, the focus remains intensely personal. In Minneapolis, vigils for Renee Nicole Good have drawn neighbors, faith leaders and activists who describe her as a loved community member whose death has left a profound void.[3][4] In Portland, community members have gathered at City Hall and the ICE facility to pray for the two people wounded by Border Patrol gunfire and to press for their names, conditions and stories to be fully acknowledged.[2]
As investigations move forward, the weekend’s protests underscore a widening divide between federal officials defending their agents and communities demanding answers—and accountability—when those agents fire their guns.