Federal law enforcement community seeks more patience in response to ICE shooting

Officials in the federal law enforcement community are asking the public, and the Trump administration, to wait for further information and the results of an investigation before jumping to conclusions after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a U.S. citizen on Wednesday. 

Tensions reached a fever pitch almost immediately after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in her vehicle at the site of agency enforcement activity in Minneapolis, which was captured on video by several bystanders. President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Homeland Security Department Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials quickly denounced Renee Nicole Good, the deceased woman, for protesting against ICE and allegedly obstructing its law enforcement operations.  

Trump administration officials have gestured toward the need to let an investigation play out, but not before exonerating the officer with their rhetoric and castigating Good as bringing her death upon herself. Noem, like the president, accused the late mother of three of being a “domestic terrorist” before saying DHS would follow “the same policies and procedures” it would in any use-of-force incident. The investigation will show the ICE officer did “everything right,” Noem said on Thursday. 

Mat Silverman, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, was critical of Good for not following what appeared to be conflicting orders from ICE personnel telling her to move and exit her vehicle, but said all involved parties should “let the facts come out before we say anything.” While he appreciated the administration’s adamant defense of federal law enforcement personnel, he said its quick and inflammatory response could have deleterious effects. 

“It’s going to hurt the citizens that think the officers are out there doing things that they shouldn’t be doing,” Silverman told Government Executive. “When you make statements like that, it's going to hurt the public trust.”

A former ICE official with more than three decades of federal law enforcement experience said his colleagues have largely expressed reservations about jumping to any conclusions. Non-law enforcement immigration officers, like those who adjudicate asylum, have expressed apprehension about the ICE officer’s action, the former official said. Some law enforcement personnel quickly spoke up to defend the officer, he said, though many have said everyone should “wait for more information.” 

Even Tom Homan, the White House’s border czar, said it would be “unprofessional” to attribute blame ahead of a full probe of the situation. 

“It would be unprofessional to comment on what I think happened in that situation,” Homan told CBS News. “Let the investigation play out and hold people accountable based on the investigation.”

Homan subsequently released a statement calling ICE personnel heroes who have the right to self defense. 

In videos released from the incident, ICE officers are seen approaching Good’s vehicle that is stopped perpendicular to the street. As she accelerates and turns to the right away from them, one officer who had been in front of the vehicle fires one shot through the windshield and two more through the driver’s side window. The car then continues away from the officers before crashing and coming to a stop. 

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, it and the FBI agreed on Wednesday to carry out a joint investigation into the incident. The FBI subsequently told BCA that the FBI would lead the investigation alone. 

“The BCA would no longer have access to the case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans, whose Force Investigations Unit was created in 2020 to probe law enforcement use of force incidents. 

He added BCA could not meet its investigative standards without access to all the relevant evidence and interviews. While his office therefore had to step down, he was hopeful the state could still leave the door open to potential prosecution. 

“We expect the FBI to conduct a thorough and complete investigation and that the full investigative file will be shared with the appropriate prosecutorial authorities at both the state and federal levels,” Evans said. 

Ahead of that investigation, Noem stated the ICE officer acted appropriately. 

“Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation and took action to defend himself and defend his fellow law enforcement officers,” the secretary said. 

ICE has more than doubled its workforce since Trump took office last year, resulting from the rapid onboarding of more than 12,000 officers and agents. DHS said many thousands of those new hires are already in the field.

The speed of deployment reflects DHS shortening the training for ICE agents from six months to around six weeks, allowing newly onboarded staff to quickly get into the field. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, which handles training for more than 75 federal law enforcement agencies, has also severely curtailed its operations for non-ICE personnel to enable the agency’s recruits to deploy more rapidly.

The officer involved in the shooting, however, has years of experience, administration officials said. He was previously involved in a vehicle-based incident, which resulted in him being dragged and in need of dozens of stitches. While the officer was able to quickly step to the side of the vehicle, the former ICE agent said it would be instinctive to still fire off several shots due to standard officer training. 

The officer’s experience, according to FLEOA’s Silverman, a U.S. Marshal who has served in government since 2001, will be relevant to the FBI’s investigation. 

As investigators probe how the individual assessed his danger, they take into account whether he was previously involved in a shooting or had ever been hit by a car. Silverman said he expected everyone involved had already sat for interviews and the officer who fatally shot Good would be "on administrative leave for a long time" in part to allow that person to clear his head and decompress. He noted the subjectivity that can go into the review of such an individual’s actions. 

“Is it 100% he should have shot? I’m not going to say that,” Silverman said. “I don’t know what was going through his mind at that time. I don’t know what he’s been through in his life prior to that.” 

Asked if the ICE employee was still in the field, Noem said the individual went to the hospital, was released and is now spending time with family.

Democratic lawmakers denounced the shooting and called for various levels of oversight. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the top Democratic on the Senate Appropriations Committee panel that oversees DHS funding, said lawmakers cannot pass a spending bill for the department without placing new restrictions on ICE officers. The DHS appropriations bill is one of six lawmakers are still negotiating ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline. 

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Vance implored the American public to take out their frustrations with politicians and not with federal law enforcement personnel who carry out their policies. 

“Don’t attack our people for enforcing the law,” Vance said. “Attack me, [but] lay off our ICE agents.”