Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The streets of Minneapolis erupted in defiance on Saturday evening as thousands gathered under winter skies to demand answers for a killing that has fractured the city's sense of safety.

Two days earlier, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good had been shot dead by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross during a routine immigration enforcement operation. Yet the official account emerging from Washington bore little resemblance to what the video evidence revealed—and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was in no mood for obfuscation.

Standing before reporters on Saturday afternoon, Frey delivered a blistering rejection of the Trump administration's characterisation of events. The shooting, he insisted, was neither justified nor self-defence.

Good had not attempted to run over ICE agents. She had attempted to escape. 'It is clear to me she was trying to leave the scene, not attack an agent,' Frey declared, his frustration palpable.

Earlier in the week, he had been more colourful in his condemnation, telling federal officials to 'get the f—k out of Minneapolis' and calling their narrative 'bullshit'. When asked about his choice of language, Frey stood firm: 'I dropped an F-bomb, they killed somebody.'

The Jacob Frey Response: Minneapolis's Mayor Rejects ICE's Account Of The Shooting

Video footage tells a starkly different story from the one peddled by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and Trump administration spokespeople. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had claimed that Ross fired his weapon because Good was attempting to run him over with her Honda Pilot SUV.

Vice President JD Vance amplified this narrative, accusing Good of trying to 'ram this guy with her car'. Yet frame-by-frame analysis of bystander footage reveals the truth: Good's vehicle was moving away from Ross, not towards him, when the first shot rang out at 9:37 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

The body camera footage released by Ross himself—captured as he approached Good's car with his phone in one hand and his firearm in the other—shows Good briefly reversing before shifting into drive. As she accelerates forward, she visibly turns the wheel away from the ICE agent.

Ross shouts 'Woah', draws his gun, and fires three times into the vehicle. By his own video evidence, he was never struck by the car. His legs were positioned clear of the SUV.

Yet the Trump administration has continued to insist that he acted in self-defence, citing a previous incident six months earlier when Ross was dragged by a suspect's vehicle whilst attempting to apprehend a fleeing driver.

The cumulative effect of these official misrepresentations has proven combustible. On Friday night, approximately 1,000 protesters descended on downtown Minneapolis, converging on the Canopy by Hilton and Depot Renaissance hotels where ICE agents were believed to be staying.

For hours, they banged drums, blew whistles, and shone bright lights into windows—a noise campaign designed to disrupt and demoralise. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara reported that 30 people were arrested, though all were soon released from custody.

Property damage was modest by protest standards, with approximately £4,200 worth of broken windows and graffiti at the Depot Renaissance Hotel. One police officer sustained minor injuries after a chunk of ice was thrown at them, though no medical attention was required.

Jacob Frey's Demand For Accountability: ICE Enforcement And Federal Overreach

Saturday brought larger, more determined crowds. Marching through snow-covered streets, thousands carried placards demanding justice and accountability. The city's official statement acknowledged the distinction between lawful dissent and criminal action: 'The vast majority of community members have demonstrated peacefully. For those individuals who cause damage to property or put others in harm's way, there will be consequences.'

Yet Frey's message extended beyond the immediate crisis. He was demanding something far more fundamental: the removal of ICE from Minneapolis altogether.

His position was reinforced by developments on Saturday morning, when three Democratic congresswomen—Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison, and Angie Craig—attempted to tour an ICE facility in the federal building. Initially granted access, they were subsequently instructed to leave.

Congresswoman Craig was unequivocal: 'They do not care that they are violating federal law,' she said, referring to ICE's obstruction of congressional oversight duties. Omar posted on X: 'The public deserves to know what is taking place in ICE facilities.'

The FBI remains investigating the shooting, though Minnesota authorities have expressed frustration at being frozen out of the federal investigation. Last week, state officials announced they would open their own inquiry after the FBI initially pledged a joint investigation before reversing course.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz echoed Frey's scepticism, urging residents not to believe what he termed 'the propaganda machine'.

For Minneapolis, the ghosts of recent history loom large. Exactly five years ago, the same city witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin—an incident that sparked a nationwide reckoning with law enforcement accountability. The parallel is impossible to ignore.

Across America, anti-ICE protests have erupted in Austin, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles. What began as outrage over one shooting has crystallised into a broader movement against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda, with citizens in cities nationwide demanding the abolition of ICE itself.

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