Statement on the ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
We are writing in the wake of the tragic death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. She was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis yesterday while serving as a legal observer for her immigrant neighbors.
Outrage, anger, fear and pain are justified responses. Renee Nicole Good was a U.S. citizen doing what many people in welcoming communities do — showing up, bearing witness, and standing with neighbors. Many of you do this same work, and we know how heavy this may feel. Renee Nicole Good’s killing is about more than one ICE agent’s actions. Welcoming advocates and upstanders are being targeted, and that risk is growing.
Minneapolis Mayor Frey and other local leaders have been clear about what happened. This was not self-defense. The massive deployment of federal agents to Minneapolis, and to cities across the country, is creating chaos and terror in communities where trust took years to build.
Leaders in Minneapolis are calling for peaceful protest, justice, and for ICE to leave their city so local governance and local policing can function. We stand with them, and with every community being targeted.
Americans share fundamental values: valuing human life and dignity, respecting our protections under the Constitution, and taking care of our neighbors. We will continue to organize around these values and build a truly welcoming America.
To our Welcoming Network members — we are gathering resources, connecting you with each other, and making sure strong local responses are elevated. Right now people are scared to show up for their immigrant neighbors — the work we ask them to do every day.
And if you’re not an advocate or immigrant yourself but you’re here trying to understand this and talk about it with people in your life — we’re here for you too. When any of us are threatened for standing with our neighbors, we show up for each other. We tell the truth about what’s happening and we keep showing up anyway. That is what welcoming means.
— The Welcoming America Team
