Mobilization had as its motto ‘ICE, out forever’, which in English is a play on words with the victim’s surname
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets this Saturday (10) to protest against the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), which caused outrage among the population after. In this city in the north of the country, protesters carried signs and chanted the name of the victim, Renee Nicole Good, defying the cold of minus 7 degrees during a gathering in a park close to the site of the tragedy.
The mobilization had the motto “ICE, out forever”, which in English is a play on words with the victim’s surname. The protests are mainly promoted by the “No Kings” movement, a network of left-wing organizations that oppose Donald Trump and repudiate his anti-immigration policies.
At the beginning of the demonstration, one person shouted: “say her name!” And the crowd responded, “Renee Good!” More protests are planned for Sunday. “They are taking away our rights and we are turning into an authoritarian dictatorship,” Drew Lenzmeier, 30, told AFP at the protest in Minneapolis.
“Nobody is putting the brakes on the Trump administration, which is now murdering citizens and robbing, kidnapping human beings. It’s time to stop this,” he added. In Philadelphia, protesters marched in the rain from City Hall to ICE offices. Mobilizations were also recorded in New York and Washington.
Bill Torcaso joined a rally in Boston. “The only principle that unites us is equality before the law. It’s what I believe most deeply, and it’s precisely what I believe Trump constantly violates. It’s unacceptable,” he said.
Organizers said more than 1,000 events were scheduled across the country. The death of Renee Good, an American citizen, poet and mother, during an operation against immigrants on Wednesday, provoked strong reactions, not only in this city, a Democratic stronghold, but also among the population concerned about the anti-immigration policy promoted by Trump.
‘Control mission’
This Saturday morning, three Democratic legislators from the state of Minnesota in the House of Representatives went to a federal building on the outskirts of Minneapolis where immigration agents operate, including Ilhan Omar, an American leftist figure of Somali origin. But, shortly after they entered, they were asked to leave the place, according to what they said. “What happened today is a blatant attempt to prevent members of Congress from exercising their control mission,” lamented Ilhan Omar.
The government maintains that the agent acted in self-defense. According to the administration’s version, Renee Good tried to run over the agent involved, Jonathan Ross, and was classified as a “domestic terrorist”.
In a video recorded on the agent’s cell phone, Renee appears behind the wheel telling him: “I’m not mad at you, sir.” As Ross passes in front of the vehicle, another officer is heard ordering her to get out of the car, before she tries to flee. Then shots are heard. At the end of the recording, it is possible to hear the person who shot and recorded saying: “damn bitch.”
The White House insists that the images reinforce the argument of self-defense. But since Wednesday, videos taken by witnesses have circulated that suggest the officer was not in danger and show Renee Good trying to avoid him.
On Friday night, hundreds of people demonstrated outside hotels in Minneapolis where ICE agents are believed to be staying. Twenty-nine people were detained, fined and then quickly released, city police said.
Minnesota officials and residents question the fact that local authorities were excluded from the FBI’s investigation into Renee Good’s death.
According to The Trace, a vehicle specializing in gun violence, Renee is the fourth person killed by immigration agents since Trump launched his deportation policy.
*With information from AFP
