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Tag: renee good

  • Twin Cities metro musicians release protest song to raise funds for the ACLU-MN

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    Musicians across the Twin Cities Metro area have released a protest song to raise money for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota.

    “I wrote this song on the day that Alex Pretti was murdered,” said Katy Vernon, musician and songwriter of “They Lie.” “It all came out in a stream of emotion,” Vernon said. “Seeing the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, it just felt like the city was under attack.”

    Katy Vernon, a British immigrant, said she wrote the song “They Lie” as an emotional response to how DHS officials responded to Pretti’s death. 

    “The storylines of everything we saw, anyone who watched. It was so obvious that what we were then told by at least two spokespeople from the administration was so obviously a lie,” said Vernon. 

    Together with the help of Kevin Bowe, who produced the song using his guitar, bass and keyboard. Paul Odegaard contributed the trumpet and Peter Anderson on the drums. 

    “We got this dreamy feeling on top of all this aggression and I think that the mix of those two things bumping against each other. It felt like how we were in Minneapolis, back to this sadness and anger,” said Bowe. “That’s what brought the track together.”

    In addition to the single, Vernon reached out to fellow musician Jason Chaffee to help create a music video. 

    “He was out on the streets, in his own neighborhood. Filming neighbors and ICE activity, and at whipple. He was out there daily,” said Vernon. “When I wrote this song I reached out to him and asked if he would be interested.” 

    Released on January 20th, Jason Chaffee’s music video features moments he captured while being out at protests and memorials. 

    Operation Metro Surge has sparked ongoing debates in Minnesota over immigration enforcement tactics and their effects on local communities. 

    For Bowe, music and intentional lyrics are important in times of tragedy. 

    “That’s what artists do. Farmers grow crops, artists write songs. This is what’s happening right now, and what’s motivating us,” said Bowe. “Of the best lyrics ever written, are that, where they just say it.”

    Each sale of the single “They Lie,” will go towards ACLU Minnesota. 

    “The reason I wanted to shine a light on all of this and raise money for the ACLU Minnesota. The ACLU is one part of who is going to hold people accountable for this,” said Vernon. 

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    Ray Campos

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  • Judge hears arguments on extending protections for refugees in Minnesota facing deportation

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    A federal judge heard arguments Thursday over whether a temporary restraining order that is currently protecting Minnesota refugees who are legally here should be extended.

    U.S. District Judge John Tunheim blocked the government from targeting these refugees last month, saying the plaintiffs in the case were likely to prevail on their claims “that their arrest and detention, and the policy that purports to justify them, are unlawful.” His Jan. 28 temporary restraining order will expire Feb. 25 unless he grants a more permanent preliminary injunction.

    Thursday, attorneys asked the court to extend the order in the form of a preliminary injunction. Attorneys hope the judge will make a ruling next week.

    Refugee rights groups sued the federal government in January after the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in mid-December launched Operation PARRIS, an acronym for Post-Admission Refugee Reverification and Integrity Strengthening.

    It was billed as a “sweeping initiative” to reexamine the cases of 5,600 Minnesota refugees who had not yet been granted permanent resident status, also known as green cards. The agencies cited fraud in public programs in Minnesota as justification.

    Operation PARRIS was part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown that targeted Minnesota, including the surge of thousands of federal officers into the state. Homeland Security said it was its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. It also sparked mass protests after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. White House border czar Tom Homan announced last week the surge was ending, though a small federal presence would remain.

    The lawsuit alleges that ICE officers went door to door under Operation PARRIS arresting refugees and sending them to detention centers in Texas, without access to attorneys. Some were later released on the streets of Texas and left to find their own way back to Minnesota, they said.

    The judge rejected the government’s claim that it had the legal right to arrest and detain refugees who haven’t obtained their green cards within a year of arriving in the U.S. He said that would be illogical and nonsensical, given that refugees can’t apply for permanent residency until they’ve been in the U.S. for a year.

    Tunheim noted in his order, which applies only in Minnesota, that refugees are extensively vetted by multiple agencies before being resettled in the U.S. He wrote that none arrested in the operation had been deemed a danger to the community or a flight risk, nor had any been charged with crimes that could be grounds for deportation.

    The judge cited several cases involving plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, including one man identified only as U.H.A., a refugee with no criminal history. He was admitted into the U.S. in 2024 and was arrested by ICE while driving to work on Jan. 18 this year. “He was pulled over, ordered out of his car, handcuffed, and detained, without a warrant or apparent justification,” the judge wrote.

    Tunheim stressed that the refugees impacted by his order were admitted into the U.S. because of persecution in their home countries. He prohibited further arrests under Operation PARRIS and ordered that all detainees still in custody from it be released and returned to Minnesota.

    “They are not committing crimes on our streets, nor did they illegally cross the border. Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully — and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries,” he wrote.

    “At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos,” he continued.

    In a follow-up order Feb. 9, Tunheim rejected a government motion to lift the temporary restraining order.

    Memo instructs ICE to detain refugees without green card after 1 year in U.S.

    As that fight continues in court, a new memo obtained by CBS News is raising alarm.

    The directive instructs ICE to detain refugees who have not formally obtained permanent residency — also known as a green card — a year after their admission.

    The latest policy targets refugees already brought to the U.S. Under federal law, refugees can apply for a green card a year after their arrival.

    Until now, missing that mark was not treated as a reason for detention or deportation.

    “Refugees are the most vetted population coming here,” said International Institute of Minnesota Executive Director Jane Graupman.

    The organization provides crucial services to new Americans.

    Graupman says this policy is especially concerning because refugees can only apply for a green card after being in the country for one year. She says the odds are stacked against them for following the rules.  

    “What is the motive? It isn’t going to make our country safer, these folks have already been vetted,” Graupman said. 

    The memo says these refugees can return to government custody voluntarily by appearing for an interview at an immigration office. But if they don’t, the memo says, ICE must find, arrest and detain them.

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    Ubah Ali

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  • U2 releases Renee Good tribute song, ‘American Obituary’ – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Irish rock band U2 released a six-track EP on Wednesday, and its opening song is a tribute to Renee Good, the Minnesota woman who was fatally shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.

    U2 describes the EP, Days of Ash, as an immediate response to current events and features a track, called American Obituary, that calls for peace.

    “Renee Good, born to die free. American mother of three. Seventh day, January. A bullet for each child, you see,” frontman Bono sings. “The colour of her eye. 930 Minneapolis. To desecrate domestic bliss. Three bullets blast, three babies kissed. Renee, the domestic terrorist?”


    Click to play video: 'ICE shooting: Anger boils over with nationwide protests in US after killing of Renee Good'


    ICE shooting: Anger boils over with nationwide protests in US after killing of Renee Good


    “America will rise against the people of the lie,” the chorus says.

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    “I am not mad at you, Lord,” the song continues. “You’re the reason I was there. Could you stop a heart from breaking, by having it not care? Could you stop a bullet in mid-air?”

    Bono said American Obituary is “a song of fury” but “more than that a song of grief.”

    “Not just for Renee but for the death of an America that at the very least would have had an inquiry into her killing … for her family as well as the credibility of law enforcement and the critical role they play in keeping the peace, keeping the citizenry safe,” he said in a special 40th anniversary edition of the band’s magazine, Propaganda.

    Bono said he knows that Good’s family “have been praying for the ICE officer who took Renee’s life, while also praying for his family.”

    “That’s the kind of people they are and Renee was the very best of us … better than the best of us,” he added.

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    “Renee didn’t just believe in kindness; she lived it, fully and fiercely,” Becca Good, her partner, said in a statement released with the project. “She believed every person deserved the same compassion, care and dignity regardless of who they were.”

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    Good’s parents and siblings said they hope the song encourages reflection and unity.

    “It’s an incredible honor to have the talent and impact of U2 spreading the message of peace in Renee’s name,” the statement read. “We certainly feel the urgency of the country’s situation reflected in the band’s powerful call for change and coming together.”

    Antonio Romanucci, a lawyer representing Good’s family in a civil case connected to her death, said the tribute reflects a broader message.

    “This deeply moving tribute to Renee’s life and legacy eloquently captures what so many people are feeling right now, and U2’s epic ability to advocate for peace in the world is unmatched. We believe this call to action by the band will move all who hear it,” he said in a statement.


    Click to play video: 'Minneapolis ICE shooting: DHS Noem doubles down on defence of officer who killed Renee Good'


    Minneapolis ICE shooting: DHS Noem doubles down on defence of officer who killed Renee Good


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    The band said they were inspired by the people “fighting on the front lines of freedom” and the project marks U2’s first major release of new songs since 2017’s Songs of Experience.

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    “These songs were impatient to be out in the world,” Bono said. “They are songs of defiance and dismay, of lamentation. Songs of celebration will follow, we’re working on those now.”

    U2 follows in the footsteps of other musical artists, like Bruce Springsteen, who have condemned the killing of Good and called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to “get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”


    During an appearance at the Light of Day Winter Festival in his home state in January, the 76-year-old rocker dedicated his 1978 song The Promised Land to Good.

    During his introduction of the song, Springsteen said: “I wrote this song as an ode to American possibility. It was about a both beautiful but flawed country that we are, and the country that we could be. Right now, we are living through incredibly critical times. The United States — the ideals and the values for which it stood for the past 250 years — is being tested as it’s never been in modern times.”

    Springsteen then turned his attention to recent news, adding: “If you believe in the power of the law and that no one stands above it, if you stand against heavily armed masked federal troops invading an American city, using Gestapo tactics against our fellow citizens, if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest, send a message to this president as the mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”

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    Springsteen was referring to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said during a press conference: “I have a message for ICE. Get the f–k out of Minneapolis.”

    “So this song is for you, and the memory of the mother of three and American citizen Renee Good,” Springsteen said before launching into The Promised Land.

    In mid-February, border czar Tom Homan said ICE operations in Minnesota were coming to an end.

    — With files from The Associated Press

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    © 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Katie Scott

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  • Hennepin County attorney to demand Alex Pretti killing evidence from feds

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    Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says she will be sending a letter this week to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to demand they turn over evidence in the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti by immigration officers in south Minneapolis.

    Moriarty has already sent a letter with the same demands for the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good, also in south Minneapolis, by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Moriarty says the response deadline in that case is set for Tuesday.

    Moriarty has been investigating those two cases — as well as the shooting of a Venezuelan national in north Minneapolis on Jan. 14 — without federal assistance.

    In that non-fatal case, Homeland Security claims three undocumented men attacked a federal agent with a snow shovel and a broom, and that fearing for his life, the agent shot one of the men in the leg. 

    The case against the three men has now been dismissed, and the acting director of ICE said two agents have been placed on leave and are being investigated for lying under oath after video evidence surfaced disputing their claims.

    Moriarty says an evidence submission portal she created with the backing of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has been allowing the public to submit evidence including videos and eyewitness accounts.

    DHS has argued Minnesota doesn’t have jurisdiction over federal agents because under the Constitution’s supremacy clause. Moriarty says that doesn’t apply if agents broke the law.

    “I think evidence that is more compelling than having the gun or the shell casings is actually the autopsy reports on both [Good and Pretti],” Moriarty said. “Because for instance in [Renee Good’s case], that would tell us how many times she was shot, the angle, the direction of those shots and which shots were fatal.”

    Moriarty is not seeking another term, and a new county attorney will be elected in November. She says that timeline is not an issue. And in the past, complicated cases involving law enforcement have moved swiftly in Hennepin County. For example, Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the George Floyd case came 11 months after the murder.

    You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

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    Esme Murphy

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  • How Much Ground Has Trump Lost on Immigration in the Polls?

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    Photo: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

    There’s not much question that the brutal immigration-enforcement tactics on display in Minneapolis and elsewhere have roiled U.S. politics. The resulting furor produced a partial government shutdown, and Trump himself seems wrong-footed by the world-wide backlash to scenes of masked thugs attacking immigrants, protesters, and bystanders alike.

    But it’s a little more difficult to measure how much this has affected Donald Trump’s own public standing. Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent on January 7. Alex Pretti was killed by Border Control agents on January 24. Using the polling averages at Silver Bulletin, we see that Trump’s overall net job-approval rating stood at minus-12.2 percent on January 6 and dropped to minus-14.6 percent by the end of the month (it’s at minus-14.4 percent on February 11). The percentage of Americans strongly disapproving of Trump’s job performance has increased to a second-term high of 46.2 percent (24.1 percent strongly approve, which is near the second-term low of 23.8 percent). As usual, the mix of pollsters releasing data in this period puts various thumbs on scales. Readings on Trump’s net job-approval range from Insider Advantage, whose February 1 survey pegged it at 1 percent, to Pew Research, which placed it at minus-24 percent as of January 26.

    Looking at post-shootings job-approval trends for specific pollsters is tough, since few have released multiple surveys in January or February. Morning Consult’s tracking poll shows little change. Nor did Economist/YouGov, which pegged Trump’s net job approval at minus-16 percent on January 26 and minus-17 percent on February 9. Interestingly, one of Trump’s favorite polling outlets, Rasmussen Reports, showed his net approval dropping to a second-term low of minus-16 percent on February 5, before rebounding somewhat to minus-9 percent as of February 11.

    Silver Bulletin maintains separate averages for polling on Trump’s job approval with respect to particular issues. The immigration trend has been downward (if unevenly so) since June. Net job approval on immigration was at minus-3.8 percent as recently as December 10. It fell all the way to minus-12.4 percent on January 26 and is now at minus-11.1 percent. It’s been clear for quite some time that what was once Trump’s strongest issue area is now another problem for him, albeit not as severe as perceptions he is mishandling the economy. His net job approval on the economy is minus-16.7 percent, and on handling inflation is minus-25.2 percent, though both numbers were worse at the end of 2025.

    A few recent polls that conduct deeper dives on immigration policy tell us much more about the impact of immigration-enforcement atrocities. The Economist/YouGov survey from February 2 is particularly nuanced. Fifty percent of Americans say Trump’s approach to immigration policy is “too harsh,” 8 percent say it’s “too soft,” and 36 percent say it’s “about right.” Democrats and Republicans are sharply polarized on the question, as usual, and 54 percent of independents say Trump’s approach is “too harsh.” The “too harsh” percentage rises to 58 percent among Hispanics. Sixty-three percent of Americans, and even 35 percent of Republicans, oppose deportation of illegal immigrants “who have lived in the U.S. for many years without committing any crimes.” Sizable majorities favor a raft of restrictions on ICE agents. Perhaps most tellingly, 53 percent of Americans agree, and only 24 percent disagree, with the statement that “Alex Pretti was wrongfully executed by immigration agents.”

    A February 2 Quinnipiac poll shows 62 percent of registered voters think the shooting of Alex Pretti was unjustified, while only 22 percent call it justified. More generally, 63 percent of registered voters disapprove of “the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws,” while 34 percent approve.

    Most recently, a February 6 NBC News Decision Desk survey of registered voters showed “49% of adults strongly disapprove of how Trump has handled border security and immigration, up from 38% strong disapproval last summer and 34% in April.” And a February 9 GBAO poll, also of registered voters, focused on perceptions of Democratic demands for ICE reforms. By a margin of 52 percent to 36 percent, respondents favored withholding DHS funding until ICE is reformed. And support for the individual demands Democrats have made with respect to ICE ranges from a low of 63 percent (allowing private lawsuits against ICE agents) to a high of 75 percent (requiring ICE participation in state and local investigations into potential violations of rights).

    How the administration handles immigration enforcement going forward will determine how much residual damage the events in Minneapolis have damaged public support for ICE, mass deportation, and Trump himself. But Americans are definitely paying attention now.

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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Bondi clashes with Democrats over Epstein, political retribution claims

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    WASHINGTON — U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi repeatedly sparred with lawmakers on Wednesday as she was pressed over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and faced demands for greater transparency in the high-profile case.

    Bondi accused Democrats and at least one Republican on the House Judiciary Committee of engaging in “theatrics” as she fielded questions about redaction errors made by the Justice Department when it released millions of files related to the Epstein case last month.

    The attorney general at one point acknowledged that mistakes had been made as the Justice Department tried to comply with a federal law that required it to review, redact and publicize millions of files within a 30-day period. Given the tremendous task at hand, she said the “error rate was very low” and that fixes were made when issues were encountered.

    Her testimony on the Epstein files, however, was mostly punctuated by dramatic clashes with lawmakers — exchanges that occurred as eight Epstein survivors attended the hearing.

    In one instance, Bondi refused to apologize to Epstein victims in the room, saying she would not “get into the gutter” with partisan requests from Democrats.

    In another exchange, Bondi declined to say how many perpetrators tied to the Epstein case are being investigated by the Justice Department. And at one point, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said the Trump administration was engaging in a “cover-up,” prompting Bondi to tell him that he was suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

    The episodes underscore the extent to which the Epstein saga has roiled members of Congress. It has long been a political cudgel for Democrats, but after millions of files were released last month, offering the most detail yet of Epstein’s crimes, Republicans once unwilling to criticize Trump administration officials are growing more testy, as was put on full display during Wednesday’s hearing.

    Among the details uncovered in the files is information that showed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had closer ties to Epstein than he had initially led on.

    Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) asked Bondi if federal prosecutors have talked to Lutnick about Epstein. Bondi said only that he has “addressed those ties himself.”

    Lutnick said at a congressional hearing Tuesday that he visited Epstein’s island, an admission that is at odds with previous statements in which he said he had cut off contact with the disgraced financier after initially meeting him in 2005.

    “I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick told a Senate panel about a trip he took to the island in 2012.

    As Balint peppered Bondi about senior administration officials’ ties to Epstein, the back-and-forth between them got increasingly heated as Bondi declined to answer her questions.

    “This is not a game, secretary,” Balint told Bondi.

    “I’m attorney general,” Bondi responded.

    “My apologies,” Balint said. “I couldn’t tell.”

    In another testy exchange, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) pressed Bondi on whether the Justice Department has evidence tying President Trump to the sex-trafficking crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

    Bondi dismissed the line of questioning as politically motivated and said there was “no evidence” Trump committed a crime.

    Lieu then accused her of misleading Congress, citing a witness statement to the FBI alleging that Trump attended Epstein gatherings with underage girls and describing secondhand claims from a limo driver who claimed that Trump sexually assaulted an underage girl who committed suicide shortly after.

    He demanded Bondi’s resignation for failing to interview the witness or hold co-conspirators to account. Other Democrats have floated the possibility of impeaching Bondi over the handling of the Epstein files.

    Beyond the Epstein files, Democrats raised broad concerns about the Justice Department increasingly investigating and prosecuting the president’s political foes.

    Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Bondi has turned the agency into “Trump’s instrument of revenge.”

    “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza and you deliver every time,” Raskin said.

    As an example, Raskin pointed to the Justice Department’s failed attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to not comply with unlawful orders in a video posted in November.

    “You tried to get a grand jury to indict six members of Congress who are veterans of our armed forces on charges of seditious conspiracy, simply for exercising their 1st Amendment rights,” he said.

    During the hearing, Democrats criticized the Justice Department’s prosecution of journalist Don Lemon, who was arrested by federal agents last month after he covered an anti-immigration enforcement protest at a Minnesota church.

    Bondi defended Lemon’s prosecution and called him a “blogger.”

    “They were gearing for a resistance,” Bondi testified. “They met in a parking lot and they caravanned to a church on a Sunday morning when people were worshipping.”

    The protest took place after federal immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.

    Six federal prosecutors resigned last month after Bondi directed them to investigate Good’s widow. Bondi later stated on Fox News that she “fired them all” for being part of the “resistance.” Lemon then hired one of those prosecutors, former U.S. Atty. Joe Thompson, to represent him in the case.

    Bondi also faced questions about a Justice Department memo that directed the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaged in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism” by Jan. 30, and to establish a “cash reward system” that incentivizes individuals to report on their fellow Americans.

    Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) asked Bondi if the list of groups had been compiled yet.

    “I’m not going to answer it yes or no, but I will say, I know that antifa is part of that,” Bondi said.

    Asked by Scanlon if she would share such a list with Congress, Bondi said she was “not going to commit anything to you because you won’t let me answer questions.”

    Scanlon said she worried that if such a list exists, there is no way for individuals or groups included in it to dispute any charge of being domestic terrorists — and warned Bondi that this was a dangerous move by the federal government.

    “Americans have never tolerated political demagogues who use the government to punish people on an enemies list,” Scanlon said. “It brought down McCarthy, Nixon and it will bring down this administration as well.”

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    Ana Ceballos, Gavin J. Quinton

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  • Thousands gather at Powderhorn Park to honor Renee Good a month after her death

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    Saturday marks one month since a federal agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis. Thousands gathered at Powderhorn Park to celebrate her life and honor her legacy.

    Indigenous leaders led a crowd to honor Good and others killed by ICE by “turning mourning into witness and witness into protection.”

    A rabbi spoke at the event, reading a message from Becca Good, Renee’s wife.

    “I want Renee and our family to be known for how we practiced radical kindness every day. We know what we’ve seen. We know that this is wrong.”

    Good’s sister also spoke to the crowd.

    “We are so proud of how you show up for each other. My family is so grateful for you. Thank you for being my sister’s home,” said Annie Granger.

    The Indigenous community in Minneapolis has been on the forefront of ICE resistance.

    Organizers encouraged people to join to stand together in love, peace and prayer.

    “A lot of times the talk is also angry, and we have a place for anger too,” said Jane Moren of Minneapolis, “but we need all the healing we can get over this thing.”

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    Laurie Perez

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  • House committee report accuses White House, DHS of Good, Pretti killings cover-up

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    The Democratic members of a U.S. House committee have released the findings of a report examining last month’s fatal shootings in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers.

    Renee Good was shot dead by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7, 2025, and Alex Pretti was killed by two Border Patrol officers on Jan. 24.

    Democratic California Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, laid out four of the report’s key findings:

    • “The Trump Administration’s extreme policies, violent tactics, and culture of impunity led to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.”
    • “The Trump Administration’s lies about the killings cannot cover up what the American people saw with their own eyes.”
    • “The available evidence suggests that the Trump Administration is attempting to cover up misconduct.”
    • “The Trump Administration is continuing its cover-up by impeding thorough and impartial investigations into the shootings.”

    The report also highlights how evidence counters the administration’s initial claims that both victims were domestic terrorists aiming to harm federal law enforcement.

    “Let’s be clear: the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti could have been prevented, and they should both still be alive,” Garcia wrote. “President Trump, [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem, and [the U.S. Department of Homeland Security] have lied over and over again and are now trying to cover up the truth. The Trump Administration needs to be held accountable.”

    In a statement to WCCO, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the work of federal officers.

    “Federal law enforcement officers are heroically removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities – including murderers, rapists, and pedophiles. The Trump Administration is grateful for their important work,” Jackson said.

    WCCO has also reached out to Homeland Security for comment.

    The committee, chaired by Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, is currently comprised of 44 representatives: 24 Republicans and 20 Democrats.

    Republican members include Reps. Jim Jordan, Paul Gosar, Virginia Foxx, Pete Sessions, Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert. Its Democratic members include Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Kwesisi Mfume, Shontel Brown, Jasmine Crockett, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.

    Good’s brothers, Brent and Luke Ganger, testified Tuesday at a public Congressional forum co-led by Garcia on “the violent tactics and disproportionate use of force by agents of the Department of Homeland Security.”

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  • ‘So wrong’: Fairfax Co. community vigil honors Renee Good, Alex Pretti – WTOP News

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    A large crowd packed a Reston, Virginia, church on Thursday night, singing and holding candles to honor those who have been injured or killed during interactions with federal law enforcement officials.

    A large crowd packed a Reston, Virginia, church on Thursday night, singing and holding candles to honor those who have been injured or killed during interactions with federal law enforcement officials.

    Led by community and religious leaders, the crowd applauded as speakers urged them to speak out. Pictures of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both killed in Minneapolis, sat in the front of the room at United Christian Parish.

    The gathering came days after Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse at Minneapolis VA Medical Center, was shot several times while filming Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation.

    Good was killed earlier in January while blocking a road with her vehicle.

    Their deaths have led to large-scale demonstrations in Minneapolis and other parts of the country.

    Virginia Rep. James Walkinshaw, who organized the vigil, said the event wasn’t about politics but instead “human beings coming together to acknowledge that lives are being lost needlessly and that the violence needs to come to an end.”

    “It’s so wrong,” said Howard Berman, who attended the vigil. “What’s happening there, happening in Portland, Maine, and happened in California, and will be happening elsewhere.”

    Pastor Vernon Walter, meanwhile, told the crowd he’s “tired, my brothers and sisters, this evening of funerals that should never have happened. I am tired tonight of mothers crying out to a system that does not answer them back. I am tired of power that takes life first and explains itself later.”

    Mary Jackson said she’s been writing on social media “how proud we are of the Minnesotans.”

    “I hope the message sends to those who have some authority in the White House to know that they’re doing the American citizens wrong, and they are actually persecuting people who have lived here for years and strive to make this country the country that it is today,” Jackson said.

    Rev. Linda Calkins suspected “probably everybody in this room knows someone who is afraid to come out and is afraid of being arrested or taken away from their family.”

    Walkinshaw is calling for an independent investigation into what led to Good and Pretti’s deaths, “not conducted by the Department of Homeland Security itself. It should be conducted by an impartial, independent FBI. Unfortunately, we don’t have that. So those investigations need to be conducted by state and local agencies.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • US Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces run for Minnesota governor

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    U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday she is running for governor of Minnesota, promising to take on President Donald Trump while unifying a state that has endured a series of challenges even before the federal government’s immigration crackdown.Klobuchar’s decision gives Democrats a high-profile candidate and proven statewide winner as their party tries to hold onto the office occupied by Gov. Tim Walz. The 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, Walz abandoned his campaign for a third term earlier this month amid criticism over mismanagement of taxpayer funding for child care programs.“Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in a video announcement Thursday. “These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration — but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state.”Klobuchar cited Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, federal officers killing two Minnesotans who protested, the assassination of a state legislative leader and a school shooting that killed multiple children — all within the last year. She avoided direct mention of ongoing fraud investigations into the child care programs that Trump has made a political cudgel.“I believe we must stand up for what’s right and fix what’s wrong,” Klobuchar said.Klobuchar, who becomes the fourth sitting senator to seek leadership of a home state as governor in 2026, has been among the loudest Trump critics, most recently over the immigration enforcement effort that has prompted massive protests.Multiple Republicans already are campaigning in what could become a marquee contest among 36 governorships on the ballot in November. Among those running for the GOP nomination are MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, a 2020 election denier who is close to Trump; Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator who was the party’s 2022 gubernatorial candidate; and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.Immigration and fraud will be at issueThe Minnesota contest is likely to test Trump and his fellow Republicans’ uncompromising law-and-order approach and mass deportation program against Democrats’ criticisms of his administration’s tactics.Federal agents have detained children and adults who are U.S. citizens, entered homes without warrants and engaged protesters in violent exchanges. Minnesota resident and U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot three times and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in early January. On Saturday, federal officers fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti during an encounter.Many Democrats on Capitol Hill, in turn, have voted against spending bills that fund Trump’s Department of Homeland Security. A standoff over the funding could lead to a partial government shutdown.Trump and other Republicans also will try to saddle Klobuchar — or any other Democrat — with questions about the ongoing federal investigation into Minnesota’s child care programs and its Somali community. Trump also has made repeated assertions of widespread fraud in state government, and his administration is conducting multiple investigations of state officials, including Walz. The Democrat has maintained that his administration has investigated, reduced and prosecuted fraud.Klobuchar has won across MinnesotaServing her fourth term in Washington, Klobuchar is a former local prosecutor and onetime presidential candidate who positions herself as a moderate and has demonstrated the ability to win across Minnesota.The senator won her 2024 reelection bid by nearly 16 percentage points and received 135,000 more votes than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who had chosen Walz as her running mate. Harris outpaced Trump by fewer than 5 percentage points.Klobuchar gained attention during Trump’s first term for her questioning of his judicial nominees including now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At Kavanaugh’s acrimonious confirmation hearings, she asked the future justice, who had been accused of sexual assault as a teenager, if he ever had so much to drink that he didn’t remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, “Have you?”The senator, who had talked publicly of her father’s alcoholism, continued her questioning. Kavanaugh, who was confirmed by a single vote, later apologized to Klobuchar.After Trump’s first presidency, Klobuchar was among the most outspoken lawmakers during bipartisan congressional inquiries of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters attacked the Capitol during certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over him in the 2020 presidential election. As Senate Rules Committee chair, she pressed Capitol Police, administration officials and others for details of what authorities knew beforehand and how rioters breached the Capitol.“It’s our duty to have immediate responses to what happened,” she said after helping write a report focused not on Trump’s role but on better security protocols for the seat of Congress.2020 presidential bidKlobuchar sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, running as a moderate in the same political lane as Biden. She launched her campaign standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm to tout her “grit” and Midwestern sensibilities that have anchored her political identity.As a candidate, Klobuchar faced stories of disgruntled Senate staffers who described her as a difficult boss but also distinguished herself on crowded debate stages as a determined pragmatist. She outlasted several better-funded candidates and ran ahead of Biden in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. But Biden, then a former vice president, trounced her and others in the South Carolina primaries, prompting her to drop out and join others in closing ranks behind him.After Biden’s victory, Klobuchar would have been well-positioned for a Cabinet post, perhaps even attorney general. But the Senate’s 50-50 split made it untenable for Biden to create any opening for Republicans to regain control of the chamber.Klobuchar announced in 2021 that she had been treated for breast cancer and in 2024 announced that she was cancer-free but undergoing another round of radiation.Klobuchar joins Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn and Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville as senators seeking to lead their home states. Bennet, Blackburn and Klobuchar are not up for reelection in 2026 so could remain in the Senate should they not win their gubernatorial races. Tuberville is in the final year of his six-year term and will leave the Senate in January 2027 regardless.___Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Maya Sweedler in Washington contributed.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Thursday she is running for governor of Minnesota, promising to take on President Donald Trump while unifying a state that has endured a series of challenges even before the federal government’s immigration crackdown.

    Klobuchar’s decision gives Democrats a high-profile candidate and proven statewide winner as their party tries to hold onto the office occupied by Gov. Tim Walz. The 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, Walz abandoned his campaign for a third term earlier this month amid criticism over mismanagement of taxpayer funding for child care programs.

    “Minnesota, we’ve been through a lot,” Klobuchar said in a video announcement Thursday. “These times call for leaders who can stand up and not be rubber stamps of this administration — but who are also willing to find common ground and fix things in our state.”

    Klobuchar cited Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, federal officers killing two Minnesotans who protested, the assassination of a state legislative leader and a school shooting that killed multiple children — all within the last year. She avoided direct mention of ongoing fraud investigations into the child care programs that Trump has made a political cudgel.

    “I believe we must stand up for what’s right and fix what’s wrong,” Klobuchar said.

    Klobuchar, who becomes the fourth sitting senator to seek leadership of a home state as governor in 2026, has been among the loudest Trump critics, most recently over the immigration enforcement effort that has prompted massive protests.

    Multiple Republicans already are campaigning in what could become a marquee contest among 36 governorships on the ballot in November. Among those running for the GOP nomination are MyPillow founder and chief executive Mike Lindell, a 2020 election denier who is close to Trump; Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator who was the party’s 2022 gubernatorial candidate; and state Rep. Kristin Robbins.

    Immigration and fraud will be at issue

    The Minnesota contest is likely to test Trump and his fellow Republicans’ uncompromising law-and-order approach and mass deportation program against Democrats’ criticisms of his administration’s tactics.

    Federal agents have detained children and adults who are U.S. citizens, entered homes without warrants and engaged protesters in violent exchanges. Minnesota resident and U.S. citizen Renee Good was shot three times and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in early January. On Saturday, federal officers fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti during an encounter.

    Many Democrats on Capitol Hill, in turn, have voted against spending bills that fund Trump’s Department of Homeland Security. A standoff over the funding could lead to a partial government shutdown.

    Trump and other Republicans also will try to saddle Klobuchar — or any other Democrat — with questions about the ongoing federal investigation into Minnesota’s child care programs and its Somali community. Trump also has made repeated assertions of widespread fraud in state government, and his administration is conducting multiple investigations of state officials, including Walz. The Democrat has maintained that his administration has investigated, reduced and prosecuted fraud.

    Klobuchar has won across Minnesota

    Serving her fourth term in Washington, Klobuchar is a former local prosecutor and onetime presidential candidate who positions herself as a moderate and has demonstrated the ability to win across Minnesota.

    The senator won her 2024 reelection bid by nearly 16 percentage points and received 135,000 more votes than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who had chosen Walz as her running mate. Harris outpaced Trump by fewer than 5 percentage points.

    Klobuchar gained attention during Trump’s first term for her questioning of his judicial nominees including now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At Kavanaugh’s acrimonious confirmation hearings, she asked the future justice, who had been accused of sexual assault as a teenager, if he ever had so much to drink that he didn’t remember what happened. Kavanaugh retorted, “Have you?”

    The senator, who had talked publicly of her father’s alcoholism, continued her questioning. Kavanaugh, who was confirmed by a single vote, later apologized to Klobuchar.

    After Trump’s first presidency, Klobuchar was among the most outspoken lawmakers during bipartisan congressional inquiries of the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters attacked the Capitol during certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over him in the 2020 presidential election. As Senate Rules Committee chair, she pressed Capitol Police, administration officials and others for details of what authorities knew beforehand and how rioters breached the Capitol.

    “It’s our duty to have immediate responses to what happened,” she said after helping write a report focused not on Trump’s role but on better security protocols for the seat of Congress.

    2020 presidential bid

    Klobuchar sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, running as a moderate in the same political lane as Biden. She launched her campaign standing outside in a Minnesota snowstorm to tout her “grit” and Midwestern sensibilities that have anchored her political identity.

    As a candidate, Klobuchar faced stories of disgruntled Senate staffers who described her as a difficult boss but also distinguished herself on crowded debate stages as a determined pragmatist. She outlasted several better-funded candidates and ran ahead of Biden in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. But Biden, then a former vice president, trounced her and others in the South Carolina primaries, prompting her to drop out and join others in closing ranks behind him.

    After Biden’s victory, Klobuchar would have been well-positioned for a Cabinet post, perhaps even attorney general. But the Senate’s 50-50 split made it untenable for Biden to create any opening for Republicans to regain control of the chamber.

    Klobuchar announced in 2021 that she had been treated for breast cancer and in 2024 announced that she was cancer-free but undergoing another round of radiation.

    Klobuchar joins Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn and Alabama Republican Tommy Tuberville as senators seeking to lead their home states. Bennet, Blackburn and Klobuchar are not up for reelection in 2026 so could remain in the Senate should they not win their gubernatorial races. Tuberville is in the final year of his six-year term and will leave the Senate in January 2027 regardless.

    ___

    Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Maya Sweedler in Washington contributed.

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  • Democrats poised to trigger government shutdown if White House won’t meet demands for ICE reform

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    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”“The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.Democrats lay out their demandsThere’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.Many obstacles to a dealAs the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.“The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.Republican oppositionSeveral Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.“You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”Democrats say they won’t back down.“It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”___Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.

    As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of demands ahead of a Thursday morning test vote, including that officers take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest. If those are not met, Democrats say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.

    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”

    “The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.

    There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown. The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks. One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.

    Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

    That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

    Democrats lay out their demands

    There’s a lot of “unanimity and shared purpose” within the Democratic caucus, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith said after a lunch meeting Wednesday.

    “Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” Smith said. “There has to be accountability.”

    Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.

    Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

    The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find agreement.

    Many obstacles to a deal

    As the two sides negotiated, it was still unclear whether they could agree on anything that would satisfy Democrats who want Trump’s aggressive crackdown to end.

    The White House had invited some Democrats for a discussion to better understand their positions and avoid a partial government shutdown, a senior White House official said, but the meeting did not happen. The official requested anonymity to discuss the private invitation.

    The House passed the six remaining funding bills last week and sent them to the Senate as a package, making it more difficult to strip out the homeland security portion as Democrats have demanded. Republicans could break the package apart with the consent of all 100 senators or through a series of votes that would extend past the Friday deadline.

    Even if the Senate can resolve the issue, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they have passed. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the president and ICE.

    “The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the letter.

    Republican opposition

    Several Republican senators have said they would be fine with Democrats’ request to separate the Homeland Security funds for further debate and pass the other bills in the package. But it might be more difficult to for Democrats to find broad GOP support for their demands on ICE.

    North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he’s OK with separating the bills, but is opposed to the Democrats’ proposal to require the immigration enforcement officers to unmask and show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.

    “You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said. “And that’s just the reality of the world that we’re in.”

    Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said that “what happened over the weekend is a tragedy,” but Democrats shouldn’t punish Americans with a shutdown and a “political stunt.”

    Democrats say they won’t back down.

    “It is truly a moral moment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we need to take a stand.”

    ___

    Associated Press writer Michelle Price in Washington contributed to this report.

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  • Is There Now a Crack in the Wall Between Cannabis Use and Gun Rights

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    Has Minneapolis upended politics and is there now a crack in the wall between cannabis sue and gun rights? There is pressure on the administration.

    For decades, the relationship between cannabis use and gun ownership in the United States has been shaped by conflicting legal frameworks and cultural trends. Since the Gun Control Act of 1968, federal law has prohibited individuals who are “unlawful users” of controlled substances from possessing or purchasing firearms, a rule that historically included cannabis because it remained classified as a Schedule I drug. As more states have moved to legalize medical and recreational marijuana use, this federal prohibition has produced a legal disconnect: people who legally use cannabis under state law can be barred from firearm rights under federal law, while gun ownership, protected by the Second Amendment and upheld in key Supreme Court decisions like District of Columbia v. Heller, has remained a deeply entrenched individual right.

    RELATED: What The Polymarket Says About Cannabis Rescheduling And More

    Recent events in Minnesota have intensified national conversations about gun use, public safety, and federal regulation. The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent sparked widespread protest and media attention, thrusting discussions about when and how guns should be carried into the spotlight. The current administration’s response — including comments from national leaders suggesting that certain forms of gun carry at protests may be inappropriate — has prompted debate and scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle, especially in a state with permissive carry laws. The President’s remarks Good “should not have been carrying a gun,” despite Minnesota’s legal provisions for open and concealed carry, have underscored a broader willingness among federal officials to reconsider how guns are used in public spaces and under what circumstances.

    Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks

    Cannabis use and gun rights have intersected not just legally but culturally. While states such as Minnesota grapple with questions of public safety following high-profile shootings, federal courts are taking up cases that challenge the application of firearm prohibitions to marijuana users. Several appellate courts have ruled barring state-sanctioned cannabis consumers from owning guns could violate the Second Amendment, creating legal pressure that may culminate in a decisive Supreme Court ruling. Advocates argue these challenges underscore the outdated nature of federal cannabis policy in a nation where a majority of states have embraced some form of legalization.

    That uncertainty has also been visible inside the administration itself. In recent press briefings, the White House press secretary struggled to clearly articulate a definitive position on gun control, particularly when pressed on how new restrictions might apply to lawful gun owners versus criminal misuse. Repeated attempts to clarify whether the administration favors broader limits on public carry, enforcement changes, or legislative reform yielded cautious, and at times contradictory, responses. The moment underscored the administration’s difficulty in balancing public safety concerns with constitutional protections, revealing a lack of consensus on how far any restructuring of gun policy should go.

    Amid these legal and political tensions, leaders in the current administration have repeatedly appeared on national news outlets discussing the need to rethink how guns are carried and used by average citizens. Some administration figures have indicated that the nation should consider stricter guidelines for public gun carry, citing recent violence and demanding a reevaluation of existing policies. This shift has sparked sharp disagreements with traditional gun rights advocates.

    RELATED: Is CBD Next On The Fed’s Hit List

    The National Rifle Association, for example, publicly criticized comments from federal officials seemed to question the rights of lawful gun owners, calling such statements “dangerous and wrong” and stressing law-abiding citizens deserve their full Second Amendment protections.

    At the same time, the broader national dialogue remains unsettled. With public opinion sharply divided, legal challenges pending in the courts, and political leaders offering competing visions for the future of gun policy, it is far from clear where the balance will ultimately fall. As lawmakers, judges, and citizens continue to hash out these issues, the evolving conversation about cannabis use, gun ownership, and public safety highlights lingering tensions in American law and society.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • Nuggets’ David Adelman reacts to Minneapolis unrest, shooting of Alex Pretti: ‘Let’s not shoot each other’

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    David Adelman couldn’t make sense of what he was watching, but he could make out the neighborhood. Minneapolis was his first NBA home. He knew the city well. Just not in this ravaged state.

    “That’s a great community of people,” the first-year head coach of the Nuggets said. “I lived there for five years. And it was just so weird to see exactly where it was in the city, because I knew exactly where it was. And from the drone shot, it looked like a war zone. And that’s the country we live in.”

    Before the Nuggets hosted the Pistons on Tuesday night, Adelman took a moment to reflect on the unrest in Minneapolis and the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents last Saturday.

    “Just as a human being, that’s really hard to watch,” he said. “I’d say beyond that, if you want to look at this in layers, how do you explain it to your kids? It’s tough. My kids are of an age where they know what’s going on. Watching that video and trying to explain it to them makes you realize that I don’t know what the hell is going on either.”

    The NBA postponed last Saturday’s game between the Timberwolves and Warriors “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after the shooting of Pretti, according to a statement from the league.

    The game was made up on Sunday, with anti-ICE chants echoing through Target Center at the end of a pregame moment of silence for Pretti. The day before Pretti’s death, mass protests had been held in Minneapolis speaking out against the federal government’s deployment of ICE to enforce Donald Trump’s immigration policy. Renee Good was shot and killed on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis amid the crackdown.

    “For the second time in less than three weeks, we’ve lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said through tears on Sunday. “As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch. We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti, family, all the loved ones and everyone involved in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are, by nature, peaceful and prideful. We just stand in support of our great community here.”

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    Bennett Durando

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  • Judge set to hear arguments on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown after fatal shootings

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    A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. Saturday’s shooting by a Border Patrol officer of Alex Pretti has only added urgency to the case.Since the original filing, the state and cities have substantially added to their original request. They’re trying to restore the state of affairs that existed before the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.The hearing is set for Monday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he plans to personally attend.They’re asking that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Menendez order federal law enforcement agencies to reduce the numbers of officers and agents in Minnesota to levels before the surge, while allowing them to continue to enforce immigration laws within a long list of proposed limits.Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and said “Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.Ellison said at a news conference Sunday that he and the cities filed their lawsuit because of “the unprecedented nature of this surge. It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we’re looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we’ve seen something like this.”It wasn’t clear ahead of the hearing when the judge might rule.The case also has implications for other states that have been or could be targets of intensive federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.”If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.Menendez is the same judge who ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including people who are following and observing agents.An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti’s killing. The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, late Saturday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday’s shooting. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.“The fact that anyone would ever think that an agent of the federal government might even think about doing such a thing was completely unforeseeable only a few weeks ago,” Ellison told reporters. “But now, this is what we have to do.”

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.

    The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. Saturday’s shooting by a Border Patrol officer of Alex Pretti has only added urgency to the case.

    Since the original filing, the state and cities have substantially added to their original request. They’re trying to restore the state of affairs that existed before the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.

    The hearing is set for Monday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he plans to personally attend.

    They’re asking that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Menendez order federal law enforcement agencies to reduce the numbers of officers and agents in Minnesota to levels before the surge, while allowing them to continue to enforce immigration laws within a long list of proposed limits.

    Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and said “Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.

    Ellison said at a news conference Sunday that he and the cities filed their lawsuit because of “the unprecedented nature of this surge. It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we’re looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we’ve seen something like this.”

    It wasn’t clear ahead of the hearing when the judge might rule.

    The case also has implications for other states that have been or could be targets of intensive federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.

    “If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.

    Menendez is the same judge who ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including people who are following and observing agents.

    An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti’s killing. The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.

    In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, late Saturday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday’s shooting. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.

    “The fact that anyone would ever think that an agent of the federal government might even think about doing such a thing was completely unforeseeable only a few weeks ago,” Ellison told reporters. “But now, this is what we have to do.”

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  • Timberwolves return to play in

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    The Minnesota Timberwolves returned to the court after the postponement of their game against the Golden State Warriors the day before, the focus clearly distracted by a community in crisis.

    “Their group was suffering. The vibe in the stands, it was one of the most bizarre, sad games I’ve ever been a part of,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the 111-85 victory on Sunday. “You could feel the somber atmosphere. Their team, you could tell they were struggling with everything that’s been going on and what the city has been through.”

    Before the game, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch’s voice cracked and faltered as the he expressed on behalf of the team a heartbreak for the community’s collective fear and pain from the ongoing immigration crackdown, following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal officer.

    Finch presents a straightforward, no-nonsense approach in his public statements and rarely reveals much emotion, but he was clearly moved by the situation in Minneapolis. The game between the Timberwolves and Warriors was postponed by 24 hours, after Pretti was killed on Saturday.

    “I’m more than a resident. This is my home. I love living here. I love being a part of this community. I’ve been embraced from day one. People have been amazing. It’s sad to watch what is happening,” said Finch, who was hired by the Timberwolves five years ago. “On the human level, certainly as somebody who takes great pride in being here, I know a lot of our players feel the same. They all love being here, and it’s just hard to watch what we’re going through.”

    Afterward, Finch called it a “ghost of a performance” after his team’s lowest final score in more than four years. Kerr said he thought it was impossible for the fans and players to focus on the court.

    “They came to the game to try to forget about stuff, I guess, but I don’t think anything went away from the city and for their team,” Kerr said.

    The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Pretti prior to the national anthem, just as they did for Renee Good before their game on Jan. 8, the day after she was fatally shot by a federal officer. The Trump administration in December launched what the Department of Homeland Security declared the largest immigration enforcement operation in history and earlier this month announced a surge of more officers to push their force past 2,000.

    The NBA announced Saturday that the rescheduling decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after Pretti was killed during a confrontation in a commercial district less than 2 miles south of Target Center. Finch said on Sunday that the Timberwolves pushed for the postponement to respect the public grieving process.

    “Playing basketball just didn’t feel like the right thing to do,” Finch said, thanking the NBA and the Warriors for their support.

    Warriors coach Steve Kerr, long one of the league’s most outspoken coaches, was measured but clearly moved as he expressed his own sympathy.

    “This has always been a great stop on the NBA tour. I love the city of Minneapolis. People here are wonderful, and it’s very sad what’s happening. I feel for the city. There’s a pall that’s been cast over the city. You can feel it. A lot of people are suffering, and obviously a loss of life is the No. 1 concern. Those families will never get their family members back,” Kerr said.

    Tens of thousands of people swarmed downtown Minneapolis on Friday in protest of the tactics and presence of immigration officers, a crowd the Warriors could see from their hotel as it moved toward Target Center. A smaller protest march took place downtown before the game Sunday.

    Plenty of other voices were raised around the sports world on Sunday.

    Women’s basketball star Breanna Stewart held a sign with “abolish ICE” printed on it during introductions at her Unrivaled league game. Minnesota Frost fans during a PWHL game chanted “Ice out now!” The NBA Players Association issued a statement in support of the protests in Minnesota and urged its members to speak up. Former Timberwolves standout Karl-Anthony Towns posted on social media his condolences for the families of Good and Pretti and said, “This moment demands that we reflect honestly on what our values truly are.”

    The Timberwolves joined the region’s four other major league men’s sports teams in signing a letter with the CEOs of more than 60 companies based in Minnesota, calling for “immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”

    Perspectives in a polarized country vary wildly on what constitutes constitutionally protected protesting and what becomes violent political disruption, and Kerr seemed to sense that tension as he spoke before the game on Sunday.

    “People are so angry. There should be an appeal to our better angels to look after one another and to recognize what’s happening. We’re being divided by media for profit, by misinformation. There’s so much out there that is really difficult for all of us to sort of reconcile,” Kerr said. “And so in times like these you have to lean on values and who you are and who you want to be, either as an individual or a country.”

    After the game, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards acknowledged the heaviness of the situation even though he’s not closely attuned to the details.

    “I just love Minnesota, all the love and support that they show me. So I’m behind whatever they’re with,” Edwards said. “Me and my family are definitely praying for everybody.”

    Teammate Julius Randle echoed a similar sentiment.

    “I’m not political at all. I don’t get into any of that stuff, but it’s tough, regardless of whatever is going on. Somebody loses their life, you never want to see that,” Randle said, adding: “Been nothing but a joy living here, so things like this happening in the community, it’s tough.”

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  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tells Trump:

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    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke to the press Sunday afternoon, one day after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents in south Minneapolis — the third shooting this month amid Operation Metro Surge, and the second fatality carried out by federal immigration enforcement forces.

    “What’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan?” Walz said. “What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation. We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified.”

    Walz said if President Trump’s intention was to “make an example of Minnesota,” it backfired.

    “We believe in law and order in this state. We believe in peace, and we believe that Donald Trump needs to pull these 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another person, and we’re up here telling another story of a Minnesotan just trying to live their life without the interference,” Walz said. “To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn or sympathy. I’ve got a question for all of you. What side do you wanna be on?”

    Full transcripts of Gov. Walz’s opening and closing statements

    Opening statement

    I had the privilege of talking with Michael and Susan, Alex’s parents, yesterday and the heartache in the hours after your son’s murdered in front of the world is one thing, but what stood out to me was a parent’s desire and their passion to make sure that the story of Alex was told.

    Someone who went to work to care for veterans, someone who was a valued co-worker, someone who relished and lived in this state in a big way whether it was outdoor activities or being down there on the street as a First Amendment witness to what ICE is doing to this, to this state.

    So, once again to Michael and Susan, when I talk to these parents, it’s always in deep confidential conversation. In this one, though, Michael was very clear to me. He said, “Don’t let them forget Alex’s story.”

    The world knows how he died. He died at the hands of ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis. They want us to make sure we said how he lived. So to Michael and Susan, our deepest sympathies, but you have my commitment to continue to tell that story.

    So now we’ve got two Minnesotans dead, we didn’t have time to start telling [Renee Good‘s] story of a poet and a mother and a bright spirit, and now we’re telling Alex’s story.

    So my question is, what’s the plan, Donald Trump? What is the plan? What do we need to do to get these federal agents out of our state? If fear, violence and chaos is what you wanted from us, then you clearly underestimated the people of this state and nation.

    We are tired, but we’re resolved. We’re peaceful, but we’ll never forget. We’re angry, but we won’t give up hope. And above all else, we are clearly unified. If it was the intention of Donald Trump to make an example of Minnesota, then I’m damn proud of the example that the world’s seeing.

    We believe in law and order in this state. We believe in peace, and we believe that Donald Trump needs to pull these 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another person, and we’re up here telling another story of a Minnesotan just trying to live their life without the interference.

    To Americans who are watching this right now, and I don’t know, maybe you’re watching it with curiosity, bewilderment, horror, scorn or sympathy. I’ve got a question for all of you: What side do you wanna be on?

    The side of an all powerful federal government that can kill, injure, menace and kidnap its citizens off the streets? On the side of a nurse at the VA hospital who died bearing witness to such a government? Or the side of a mother whose last words were, “I’m not mad at you”?

    The sight of tens of thousands of peaceful citizens who showed up to march when the wind chill was 40 below because they love this state and they love this country.

    You’re allowed to decide at any point that you’re not with us anymore. If you voted for this administration, heck, even if you thought Operation Metro Surge was a good idea, sounded like the thing to do a month ago, you’re still allowed to look at what’s happening here in Minnesota and say, “This isn’t what I voted for and this isn’t what I want.”

    I ask you not to stand by idly. Speak out, share what you’re seeing to others and urge others to put politics aside. We’re no longer having a political debate. We’re having a moral debate.

    We all want secure borders and immigration enforcement that prioritizes criminals, and I want to thank the press, especially the local press, who has done a deep dive to show that’s exactly what Minnesota does.

    But what you’re seeing is not common sense, lawful or humane enforcement. That’s not what this occupation is about.

    Let me say our conversation should not be about, and I know we get asked of what we’re doing out there, how many state patrol or police or national guard I can put on the street. This isn’t about how many people I can put on the street, it’s about how many of these people, these ICE agents and whoever else was thrown into this unholy mess, how many Donald Trump can get out of here?

    Minnesotans, you’ve won the hearts and minds of people across this country, and you’ve done it through your peaceful, resolved defense of your neighbors and the Constitution. 

    So once again Minnesotans, stay peaceful, stay safe. Change is coming and we can feel it. But this fight still goes on.

    Closing statement

    I’m going to close with one thing that I promised the parents, with Michael and Susan, and I speak to all Americans on this over these last 24 hours, what you saw, you’re now knowing more about this young man, beloved by his family, accomplished ICU nurse, skillful ability to work with veterans, someone who is beloved by community, no criminal record, lawful firearms owner.

    And you know what you saw, and then you heard the most powerful people in the world, certainly in this country — the president, vice president, Greg Bovino, Kristi Noem — narrate to you what you were looking at that this was a domestic terrorist, crazed, running at law enforcement with the intent to kill massive numbers of them, sullying his name within minutes of this event happening. And then closing the crime scene, sweeping away the evidence, defying a court order and not allowing anyone to look at it.

    I don’t care if you are conservative and you are flying a Donald Trump flag, you’re a libertarian, don’t tread on me, you’re a Democratic Socialist of America. This is an inflection point, America. If we cannot all agree that the smearing of an American citizen and besmirching everything they stood for and asking us not to believe what we saw, I don’t know what else to tell you.

    This has to be the moment.

    Your government here in Minnesota, I’ve made it clear I’m accountable for things that happen here, and I will take responsibility for that. Someone has to be accountable. Someone has to hold the final decision on this. And sitting behind a keyboard at 2 a.m. and besmirching a VA nurse and a son and a co-worker and a friend is despicable beyond all description.

    This is not “we need to see both sides.” This is not “we need to wait for this.” This is basic human decency. And at this point in time, I’m just asking try, for a moment, to set aside the political side of it and go back and ground in the humanity of this. This family has gone through enough, and to have the most powerful man in the world drag their dead son with absolutely no evidence and gaslight the entire country? This is enough.

    And I would say, President Trump, you can end this today. Pull these folks back. Do humane, focused, effective immigration control. You’ve got the support of all of us to do that, let our law enforcement continue to do what they do, making Minnesota one of the safest states in the country, one of the best places to live. Allow our children to go back to school. We have got children in Minnesota hiding in their houses, afraid to go outside.

    Many of us grew up reading that story of Anne Frank. Somebody is going to write that children’s story about Minnesota. And there’s one person who can end this now.

    And I’ll go back to it again. Please show some decency, pull these folks out, reset this situation and allow us to do the job that the attorney general and myself were elected to do: protect the people of Minnesota and carry out the laws of Minnesota.

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  • Prayers Up! Federal Agents Kill Another Minneapolis Resident Weeks After Renee Good Shooting (VIDEO)

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    Some things hit differently when the violence comes to your own streets—and Minneapolis is feeling it again. On Saturday, federal officers, including ICE, were back in the spotlight after a man was shot and killed. Now, outrage is sparking as the city still reels from another deadly federal shooting just weeks earlier. The air is seemingly thick with tension, anger, and questions that still haven’t been fully answered.

    RELATED: Unveiled ICE Memo Reportedly Reveals Agents Have Been Instructed That They Can Enter Homes Without Judicial Warrants

    Minneapolis In Uproar As Shooting Details Surface

    According to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 51-year-old man who was shot died amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown. Details around the shooting are still emerging. Nonetheless, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the person had a firearm with two magazines. DHS also released a photo of the handgun they say was recovered from the scene, though protesters say that doesn’t justify what happened.

    Protesters Clash With ICE Near Renee Good Site

    The location couldn’t have been more charged: just over a mile from where Renee Good, 37, was killed by an ICE officer on January 7. After the shooting, hundreds of demonstrators poured into the streets, screaming at federal officers, calling them “cowards” and chanting “ICE out now.” One officer reportedly mocked the crowd, walking away with a dismissive “Boo hoo,” while others shoved protesters into vehicles. People even dragged dumpsters into streets to block traffic, showing the depth of the city’s frustration.

    “They’re killing my neighbors!” shouted local resident Josh Koskie, capturing the anger felt by so many in the crowd. Federal agents responded with batons and flash bangs, escalating an already tense situation. Walz, a Democrat, called for an immediate halt to the operation. He also urged President Trump to withdraw what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest-ever immigration enforcement mission.

    City Tensions Rise After Back-To-Back ICE Tragedies

    The shooting came a day after thousands braved freezing temperatures to protest federal immigration enforcement, demanding that law enforcement leave the city. As Minneapolis continues to wrestle with back-to-back tragedies involving ICE, the tension is palpable. And, many are left asking what comes next for a city caught in the crosshairs of federal action and community outrage.

    RELATED: ICE Agents Reportedly Detain 5-Year-Old Boy In Minnesota And Use Him To “Bait” Father Into Capture

    What Do You Think Roomies?

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  • After Minneapolis, Dems confront political vulnerabilities to battle Trump on immigration, furor over ICE

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    Democrats had planned to campaign in the midterm elections on affordability and health care, two issues where Americans are particularly unhappy with President Donald Trump. But the aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota, including the killing of Renee Good during a confrontation with federal agents, has scrambled the party’s playbook.

    Now Democrats are trying to translate visceral outrage into political strategy, even though there’s little consensus on how to press forward on issues where the party has recently struggled to earn voters’ trust.

    Some Democrats want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a proposal that echoes “defund the police” rhetoric from Trump’s first term, and impeach administration officials such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

    Others have taken a different approach, introducing legislation intended to curb alleged abuses by federal agents. But those ideas have been criticized by activists as insufficient, and there is mounting pressure to obstruct funding for deportations.

    “We’re Democrats. I’m sure we’re going to have 50 different ideas and 50 different ways to say it,” said Chuck Rocha, a party strategist who is advising several House and Senate candidates on immigration this year.

    If Democrats fail to strike the right balance, they could imperil their efforts to retake control of Congress and statehouses around the country. They could also hamper a chance to rebuild credibility with voters whose dissatisfaction with border enforcement under Democratic President Joe Biden helped return Trump, a Republican, to the White House.

    Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress and Biden’s former domestic policy adviser, believes the party can thread the needle.

    “It’s not too much to ask that we have a government that can produce a secure border, that can deport people who are not legally here, and that can also respect people’s civil and human rights,” she told The Associated Press. “This country has done that before, and it can do it again.”

    Immigration crackdowns have spread from city to city since Trump took office, but the latest operation in Minnesota has generated some of the most intense controversy.

    Good, 37, was fatally shot by a federal agent earlier this month, prompting protests and angry responses from local Democratic leaders. Administration officials accused Good of trying to hit an agent with her car, an explanation that has been widely disputed based on videos circulating online.

    “I think the party is very unified in our disdain and concern of the actions certainly of DHS and ICE,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “We should campaign on fairness and due process for all people,” Garcia added, “which is being violated every single day by ICE and DHS. We should be aggressive in that posture.”

    But pushing back on the administration requires Democrats to step onto difficult political terrain.

    About 4 in 10 U.S. adults trusted Republicans more to handle immigration, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll from September, higher than about 3 in 10 who said the same about Democrats. On the issue of crime, Republicans also held the advantage. About 44% thought Republicans were better, compared with 22% for the Democrats.

    Republicans feel confident that their intertwined messages on crime and immigration will resonate with voters in the midterms. They frequently highlight violent criminals detained or deported, downplaying examples of nonviolent migrants who have been swept up.

    “If Democrats want to make 2026 a referendum on which party stands for strong immigration policies and protecting public safety, we will take that fight any day of the week,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.

    Some Democrats are more interested in using the issue as a way to pivot back to core messages about health care and the cost of living.

    “I want everybody to understand, the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for ICE to be doing this,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said last week. “The cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this.”

    Democratic strategists have circulated the clip as an example of a potentially effective pitch, particularly after Trump slashed funding for some safety net programs during his first year in office.

    The president’s approval may be slipping on the issue of immigration.

    His approval rating on the issue has fallen since the start of his term, according to Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling, from 49% in March to 38% in January.

    Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Hispanic civil rights group in the U.S., said crackdowns have hurt Trump politically.

    “Republican members of Congress are really uncomfortable with these agencies and their existing tactics, because they know it’s going to hurt them back at home come election cycle,” he said.

    Proaño said he had been disappointed with how Democrats had accommodated the Trump administration on immigration in the last year, but he praised changes in the party’s strategy since Good’s death was captured on video.

    “I think everyone just gasped at that, and I think there has been a marked shift since then,” he said.

    Some people who have vocally supported Trump in the past, like podcast host Joe Rogan, have expressed reservations.

    “Are we really going to be the Gestapo?” he asked recently.

    But Trump has not shown any sign of backing down. The administration has ramped up the number of federal agents deployed to Minnesota and the Justice Department issued subpoenas to the state’s Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded enforcement operations.

    Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, who used to lead the party in his home state of Minnesota, said “there’s a lot of pain and anguish.”

    “It’s heartbreaking,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s chilling to think that this is the United States of America, what is supposed to be a beacon for democracy and freedom.”

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  • Peaceful protests Sunday at Whipple building, Trump says soldiers on standby to Minnesota

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    Protests were peaceful outside the Whipple building midday Sunday, a week and a half since Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis.

    Now, 1,500 active-duty soldiers are on standby for possible deployment to the area — so too is the Minnesota National Guard — as President Trump has said he’s considering the insurrection act.
        
    Around midday Sunday, no federal officers were spotted standing guard outside Whipple, but Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies were on scene.

    A spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said more deputies will be deployed, if needed, to keep the peace and maintain public safety.

    On Friday, a federal judge ordered immigration agents stop using tear gas and detaining peaceful protestors.

    “That federal order was a little ridiculous,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told host Margaret Brennan Sunday.

    Chemical agents are only used when there’s violence being perpetrated, Noem said.

    “That judge’s order didn’t change anything for how we’re operating on the ground, because it’s basically telling us to do what we’ve already been doing,” said Noem.

    So far, about 3,000 federal agents have been deployed to Minnesota and more than 2,500 people have been arrested.

    On Sunday, Noem said 70% of those detained have charges against them, while Brennan said CBS reporting showed that number was only 47%, based on information provided by Noem’s own agency.

    As for protestors, like those out on Sunday, Noem suggested they be confined to a peaceful protest zone. Mayor Frey responded.

    “First amendment speech is not limited to one park or one section of the city,” said Frey. “You are allowed to protest, so long as you’re doing it peacefully.”

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  • Bruce Springsteen Dedicates Performance of ‘The Promised Land’ to Renee Good

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    Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for AFI

    At the Light of Day festival in New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen dedicated his song about the American promise to slain ICE watcher Renee Good. “This next song is probably one of my greatest songs,” Springsteen said of “The Promised Land” Saturday night, per NJ Arts. “I wrote this song as an ode to American possibility … both to the beautiful but flawed country that we are, and to the country that we could be.” Springsteen said that American possibility and purported values “have never been as endangered as they are right now,” referring to ICE raids on cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and most recently Minneapolis. Springsteen decried ICE’s “Gestapo tactics,” saying “if you believe you don’t deserve to be murdered for exercising your American right to protest … then send a message to this President. And as the Mayor of that city has said, ICE should get the fuck out of Minneapolis. So this one is for you, and the memory of the mother of three and American citizen Renee Good.”

    On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, who was participating observation of ICE’s operations in Minneapolis. Footage appears to show Ross call Good a “fucking bitch” after killing her. Good was reportedly denied medical attention after the shooting. Good was labeled a “domestic terrorist” by the Trump administration. Since the incident, ICE favorability polls have been at an all-time low.

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