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Republicans on Capitol Hill moved quickly to defend a federal ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minnesota, saying the officer acted within his bounds after facing what authorities described as an immediate threat.
“They had a right to defend themselves. He was defending himself,” said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga.
“We need to show respect to the ICE agent. We need to show respect to our public safety officials,” he added.
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Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., attends the House Energy and Commerce bill’s FY 2025 budget resolution in the Rayburn Building in Washington, May 13, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are largely divided along party lines over whether the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good Wednesday in a suburb outside Minneapolis reacted reasonably. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agent shot Good when she first attempted to disrupt an ICE arrest, refused orders to exit her car, began to drive away, and placed an ICE agent in the path of her moving vehicle.
“If you watch the tape, you’ll see that this person was using a car as a weapon against this ICE agent, hitting him with the car,” Carter said.
Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., echoed Carter’s reasoning.
“I mean, law enforcement says, ‘Hey, stop, open your door, let me see your ID.’ And then not only are you taking off, but you’re heading straight toward someone as they jump out of the way of the car — basically, you’re trying to run them over,” Meuser said.
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A former Secret Service and ICE agent explains why the officer had just seconds to act as a vehicle accelerated toward him in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Democrats have disputed that narrative, arguing that the shooting was the result of a developing culture within law enforcement that prioritizes aggressiveness over safety.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., believes culture comes from the top down.
“The murder of Renee Good was not simply the result of the actions of a single officer,” Schneider said in a statement Friday. “It is the product of a law enforcement culture that has become increasingly aggressive, irresponsible, violent and chaotic.”
“ICE’s actions in Minnesota and across the country, including in Illinois, do not make us safer. Instead, they are bringing fear and violence to our streets at the direction of the Secretary of State. [Kristi] Noem,” Schneider said, referring to the DHS secretary.
Republicans largely came to the defense of Noem and the administration in responding to the incident, highlighting the perceived threat the officer responded to.
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks in Quito, Ecuador, July 2025. (Getty Images/Alex Brandon)
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., believes the shooting could have been completely avoided if state leaders had helped defuse the rhetoric surrounding ICE operations.
“What happened was two people got involved in a situation that could have been avoided if she hadn’t broken the law,” he said. “And then when they went to arrest her, she tried to run away with a person in front of her car. He made a quick decision. This scenario escalated very quickly and someone died.”
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“It’s not good for anyone,” McCormick added.
