Today we mourn the loss of 37-year old Rene Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Despite the administration’s claims that Ms. Macklin Good was a “domestic terrorist” and “violent rioter”, multiple videos of the event contradict that narrative. Instead the videos would appear to show a person who was uninvolved in any protests who was driving home and stuck in traffic due to ICE’s presence. Video [warning, while not graphic, this video is still very disturbing] shows her allowing another car to pass in front of hers, followed by her waving to the ICE officers and telling them to “go around” just as the previous car had. ICE officers instead chose to escalate and then execute.
By all appearances, Ms. Macklin Good had no involvement in protests against ICE and was simply returning home after taking her child to school.
Wednesday’s unconscionable murder came just a day after DHS had announced a surge of 2,000 immigration agents in Minneapolis, and unfortunately was not the only example of violence by federal agents in the city yesterday. Enforcement actions at a high school also led to violence against school officials, students, and neighbors, and is part of the reason why the Minneapolis school district cancelled classes for the rest of the week.
With the administration’s militaristic enforcement of civil immigration law throughout the country, tragedies like this were entirely predictable. Indeed, while this murder is attracting national attention, we had already seen an increase in shootings by ICE agents since Trump came back to office. The question is whether we will see anyone held accountable for these violent actions against American communities. Allies in Minnesota were already reporting that the federal government was taking over the investigation, and we expect the Trump Administration to manage the outcome and control the narrative. Following the murder, Thomas Homan claimed that he has “not seen ICE act outside of policy.” One has to wonder what sort of policies this administration has that allow for murder.
Ms. Macklin Good leaves behind 3 children, including the 6-year old she had just dropped off at school, who is now an orphan having already lost their father a few years earlier.