The right to assemble and protest are just two of the rights listed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. This past weekend, people gathered nationwide to exercise their First Amendment right to protest ICE’s presence, chanting sayings such as “ICE will melt” and “ICE out for good,” just to name two.
These protests started in response to the murder of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good that occurred on Jan. 7th. The incident began with Renee and her wife being stopped on Portland Avenue South near an ICE vehicle that was stuck in a snowbank. An ICE individual approached her vehicle and tried to get her out of said vehicle via words and force by pulling on her door handle. In response, she chose to drive her vehicle forward and away from the agents. The ICE agents decided to fire 3 shots that would end up killing the mother of three, Renee Good.
In response to the public outrage that later formed into the protesters on Jan. 10-11th, the Trump administration responded to the public by justifying Good’s death, saying that the ICE officer was acting in ‘self-defense’ and that the mother of 3 was a domestic terrorist. Furthermore, many right-wing news sources and the administration have chosen to label her as a member of an Anti-ICE organization.
It is important to note that Good’s death wasn’t the only thing that surged public outrage. Another incident that fueled the flames was a Portland shooting where ICE agents shot and wounded two Venezuelan individuals during a stop. One of the wounded partners, Nico-Moncada, was later released to FBI custody. However, not much is known about the details of this incident due to a lack of footage.
Again, in response to the public outcry, the Trump administration claimed the ICE Agents acted in self-defense, claiming that the couple ‘weaponized’ their vehicle. The administration later claimed that the couple had ties to the Venezuelan gang ‘Tren de Aragua’.
Both situations of the Venezuelan couple and Renee Good have caused public outrage over how ICE has been operating and how the Trump administration continues to defend the ICE agents. Thus, caused the public to gather together and put together over 1000 events with tens of thousands in attendance.
The protests were set up with the demands that those responsible for the shootings be held accountable and to put an end to ICE or at least decrease funding. Many protesters wished to protect immigrant communities who have experienced fear in the face of ICE.
Many protests and walkouts remained peaceful except for some, such as a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that had turned violent. During the march, protesters took to throwing things at the officers present, which led to arrests being made and the protest dying down. However, there are not many major reports about these protests turning violent.
In response to the January protests that occurred on the 10-11th, Trump and his administration continued to defend the ICE agents related to the shootings. Trump also went on to claim that the protests were “highly disrespectful of law enforcement” and vowed to investigate further to hold those who were ‘violent’ accountable. Online, Trump has warned of a “day of reckoning and retribution” coming to Minnesota, citing the reason was the allowance of anarchy by the democratic leader of Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz.
Furthermore, the Trump administration has made the decision to send more ICE agents to Minneapolis. This decision is in correlation to the pattern of using federal authority to counter local protests- similar to what happened last year in June 2025, when Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles during earlier anti-ICE demonstrations.
With an increase in ICE flooding to Minneapolis, the community there is facing fear and anxiety about the safety concerns this action will cause. Many locals have reported feeling a lot of fear in the case that an increase in ICE will lead to further violence, racial profiling and civilian deaths. There has also been a lot of worry about the impact it will have on daily life for many with the looming presence of ICE agents.
Beyond the local fear in Minneapolis, more legal and political responses are going through the works, such as the state of Minnesota, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul joined together to file a lawsuit. The lawsuit has been filed as recently as January 12th, serving the purpose to halt the “unprecedented surge,” and calling it an unconstitutional “federal invasion”.
Big results are already showing from the Jan. 10-11th protests in just days following; more results will come as things will only continue to progress with each winding day. Trump has continued to stick to his guns and protect the ICE agents, who many feel acted out of aggression rather than self-defense. As of right now, lawsuits are flowing, and many are left worried; only time will tell what direction America leads.
