New ICE video raises questions about Noem account of Renee Good shooting amid Minneapolis ICE surge
Since Dec. 1, the Trump administration’s "Operation Metro Surge" sent roughly 100 federal agents to the Twin Cities, resulting in about a dozen arrests of noncitizens (including people from Somalia, Mexico and El Salvador), protests and reports that U.S. citizens were wrongly detained, pepper‑spray confrontations, and lawsuits and public calls from Gov. Tim Walz and local leaders for DHS review. Homeland Security’s release of a cellphone video showing the minutes before ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good — in which no stuck ICE vehicle is visible while Good’s Honda sits sideways and she waves toward agents — has prompted critics to question Secretary Kristi Noem’s account that agents were freeing a stuck vehicle; the lack of confirmed body‑cam footage and legal uncertainty over federal immunity add to scrutiny.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE launched 'Operation Metro Surge' beginning Dec. 1 in the Twin Cities; roughly 100 federal agents conducted raids, ICE says at least 12 noncitizens (from Somalia, Mexico and El Salvador) were arrested — some with criminal convictions and one described as a Somali gang member — and DHS has claimed roughly half of reviewed Minnesota visa cases were fraudulent but has not provided totals or charge data.
- The operations occurred amid sharp political rhetoric from the Trump administration (President Trump publicly criticized Somali immigrants and local leaders) and DHS officials, amplifying community alarm and framing of the deployment as targeted at the Somali community.
- Homeland Security released a cellphone video showing about three minutes before ICE fatally shot Renee Good: Good’s Honda Pilot was sideways in the street while other vehicles passed and there is no visible stuck ICE vehicle in that clip; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the account that agents were helping a stuck vehicle and called Good’s conduct 'weaponizing' a car and 'domestic terrorism,' but critics say the video contradicts that narrative.
- Multiple reports and video show federal agents used pepper spray to disperse crowds during enforcement actions in Minneapolis (including Cedar‑Riverside); observers and local leaders say U.S. citizens were detained during the operations (notably a 20‑year‑old known as Mobashir/Mubashir), prompting Gov. Tim Walz to ask Secretary Noem to review arrests and 'respect the Constitution.'
- Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara publicly criticized ICE tactics and said MPD does not collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement or share information for that purpose, adding a formal local law‑enforcement rebuke to the federal operation.
- ICE’s body‑worn camera program is not enterprise‑wide: policy was updated in 2025 but full implementation depends on appropriations; DHS has not said whether the agent who shot Renee Good was wearing a body camera, leaving uncertainty about available federal footage beyond bystander video.
- The shooting and enforcement surge sparked large protests — thousands marched in Minneapolis and hundreds were involved in nightly demonstrations that led to dozens detained (police reported 30 detained near the Canopy/Canopy by Hilton‑Depot area) and some property damage — and organizers explicitly linked the incident to a broader ICE 'surge' and school/community disruptions.
- Schools and educators were directly affected: Education Minnesota and the Minneapolis Federation of Educators demanded ICE stay away from schools after reported incidents near Roosevelt High School (an educator detained, students pepper‑sprayed) and Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes citing fear and emotional harm; meanwhile multiple immigrants arrested during the operations have filed federal lawsuits challenging detention (11 filed in December; at least four in federal court) and legal experts note the shooting officer could invoke federal (supremacy‑clause) immunities that complicate state prosecution.
📊 Relevant Data
Minnesota's pandemic-era fraud schemes, largely involving the Somali community, have resulted in estimated losses of billions of dollars, with the Feeding Our Future scam alone accounting for over $250 million in fraudulent claims.
Key Questions About Minnesota's Fraud Schemes and the Billions in Losses — U.S. News & World Report
Somali immigrants in Minnesota face high poverty rates, with 27.9 percent living in poverty, driven by factors such as low education levels and limited English proficiency.
Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies
ICE enforcement actions in Minneapolis have led to economic disruptions in Somali communities, including businesses curtailing hours, workers staying home, and reduced sales at immigrant-owned shops.
As ICE raids target Minnesota Somalis, community hubs fall silent — Sahan Journal
The resettlement of Somali immigrants in Minnesota began in the 1990s, primarily as refugees fleeing civil war, facilitated by U.S. refugee resettlement programs and voluntary agencies.
Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota — MNopedia
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and contribute about $67 million in state and local taxes, supporting economic growth in the state.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
📰 Source Timeline (24)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 11, 2026
8:33 PM
Sec. Noem defends narrative of Minneapolis ICE shooting after new video released
New information:
- Homeland Security released a cell‑phone video showing roughly three minutes before the shooting, with Renee Good’s Honda Pilot blocking the road while ICE officers stand together down the block.
- In the video, other vehicles — including dark‑tinted SUVs parked near an ICE squad truck — are able to pass despite Good’s vehicle being sideways in the street, and there is no sign of a stuck ICE vehicle in the three minutes before shots are fired.
- The video shows Good waving toward the ICE squad truck before an officer gets out; Tapper presses Noem on her earlier claim that agents were pushing out a stuck vehicle when Good attacked them.
- On CNN, Sec. Noem sticks to her narrative that officers had been helping a stuck vehicle and that Good was blocking the road, yelling and impeding operations, but does not reconcile that claim with the absence of any visible stuck vehicle in the released clip.
- Noem reiterates that Good "weaponized her vehicle" and calls her conduct domestic terrorism, while critics point out the mismatch between her early description — a mob attacking agents trying to free a vehicle — and what’s visible on the tape.
5:01 PM
Minneapolis ICE shooting: Could the officer face charges? Legal expert weighs in
New information:
- Hamline law and political science professor David Schultz explains that ICE officer Jonathan Ross is unlikely to have 'absolute immunity' but could invoke supremacy-clause immunity that makes state prosecution difficult.
- Schultz says Minnesota prosecutors would have to show Ross was not acting in his official capacity, but as a purely private individual, to overcome supremacy-clause protection.
- The piece corrects Vice President J.D. Vance’s public claim that Ross enjoys 'absolute immunity,' noting that such immunity typically covers judges, legislators and prosecutors, not line law‑enforcement officers.
12:14 AM
Thousands march in Minneapolis to protest ICE after shooting
New information:
- Reports that thousands of people marched in Minneapolis to protest ICE following the fatal shooting, indicating one of the largest street demonstrations so far in this enforcement cycle.
- Specific march route and targets (federal buildings/ICE facilities) and the character of the protest (peaceful, heavily policed, key chants/demands).
- Additional quotes and demands from organizers linking the shooting, the 2,000‑agent ICE ‘surge,’ and school/community disruptions, sharpening the protest movement’s message.
January 10, 2026
2:22 PM
Minneapolis ICE shooting: 30 detained as Hilton Canopy Hotel protests escalate overnight
New information:
- Reports that a crowd of several hundred gathered near the Canopy by Hilton in downtown Minneapolis around 8 p.m. and later moved to the Depot Renaissance Hotel, where property damage occurred.
- Minneapolis police say more than 30 people were detained and cited over the course of the night after declaring an unlawful assembly around 10:15 p.m.
- Police allege protesters threw snow, ice and rocks at officers, squad cars and other vehicles in the roadway.
- MPD says some protesters tried to force their way into the Canopy Hotel through an alleyway entrance around 9:45 p.m.
- Officers responded to a separate incident at 8:30 p.m. involving a vehicle driven onto a sidewalk near the hotel by a 'belligerent and possibly intoxicated' woman, though no building damage was found.
January 08, 2026
8:58 PM
Education Minnesota demands ICE stays away from schools
New information:
- Education Minnesota President Monica Byron issued a statewide statement demanding that ICE operations be kept away from Minnesota schools, saying their presence near schools ‘endangers children, educators and families.’
- The union ties its demand directly to ICE’s fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis and to a Roosevelt High School incident where an educator was detained and students were pepper‑sprayed during dismissal.
- Education Minnesota says ICE activity is disrupting teaching and learning, noting Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes for the rest of the week and that students are experiencing ‘ongoing fear and emotional harm.’
- The Minneapolis Federation of Educators alleges Border Patrol/ICE deployed pepper spray near Roosevelt and ‘abducted’ a staff member assisting with safe dismissal, who was later released.
- DHS counters that agents were pursuing a U.S. citizen who allegedly rammed a government vehicle, led a 5‑mile reckless chase ending in the school zone, and that another individual who identified as a teacher assaulted a Border Patrol agent while a crowd threw objects and paint at officers and vehicles.
January 07, 2026
11:49 PM
Some ICE agents wear body cameras...but not everywhere
New information:
- ICE’s body‑worn camera program began with pilots in select cities in 2024, and Minneapolis was not among the initial rollout locations.
- ICE updated its body‑worn camera policy in 2025 under the Trump administration, stating that full implementation depends on available appropriations and acknowledging cameras are not yet enterprise‑wide.
- The Department of Homeland Security has not said whether the ICE agent who fatally shot a driver in south Minneapolis was wearing a body camera, leaving uncertainty about federal video evidence beyond bystander footage.
- A federal judge in Chicago has ordered immigration agents operating there to wear body‑worn cameras unless exempted by policy, and in a separate border‑patrol case, body‑cam footage led DOJ to drop "domestic terrorism"‑framed charges against a motorist accused of ramming agents.
December 23, 2025
4:25 PM
Gov. Walz talks ICE targeting U.S. citizens in Minnesota: Watch live
New information:
- Gov. Tim Walz will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and faith leaders to address the ongoing ICE operation in the Twin Cities.
- The briefing will focus not only on ICE targeting the Somali community but explicitly on U.S. citizens who have been swept up in the enforcement effort.
- FOX 9 identifies two previously reported cases as context: a U.S. citizen known as Mubashir arrested in Cedar-Riverside and detained in Bloomington until his status was verified, and another U.S. citizen arrested downtown and held for more than 24 hours.
December 17, 2025
10:21 PM
Minneapolis police chief criticizes ICE tactics after clash with protesters
New information:
- Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara publicly criticized ICE tactics following a clash with protesters in Minneapolis.
- The chief’s remarks add an official MPD stance to ongoing federal immigration operations and local protest response.
- Article indicates a call for different tactics/coordination during future federal operations (as characterized in the report).
December 16, 2025
12:00 AM
St. Paul woman in turmoil after ICE detains husband unexpectedly
New information:
- ICE detained 35-year-old Senegalese citizen Hadarane Demba Ka at a gas station while he was driving to work in Hudson, Wisconsin.
- His wife, Nadia Ka, says he is on a path to citizenship and has no criminal history beyond minor traffic and parking infractions.
- Ka’s recent employment includes work at Norflex (Hudson) and prior placements in St. Paul schools via Zen Educate, which said it verifies immigration status.
- His car was found still at the gas pump; ICE has not provided specific reasons for the detention.
December 11, 2025
12:17 AM
Minneapolis ICE surge: Citizen's detainment sparks alarm
New information:
- Video shared by Minneapolis leaders shows a U.S. citizen being taken into ICE custody in Cedar-Riverside on Tuesday.
- Gov. Tim Walz formally asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to review the arrests of American citizens in Minnesota tied to Operation Metro Surge.
- FOX 9 reports observers in Minneapolis have been pepper‑sprayed by ICE; AP video shows agents using pepper spray to disperse a crowd blocking vehicles.
- Rep. Brad Tabke says more than 250 observers in Shakopee are monitoring ICE activity and assisting affected community members (groceries, escorts).
- Article cites Cato Institute analysis that over 70% of ICE arrests involve people without criminal records, fueling community concern (contextual data point).
12:12 AM
Walz tells Noem to 'respect the Constitution' after ICE agents detain US citizens
New information:
- Gov. Tim Walz sent a formal letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urging a review of ICE operations in Minneapolis and to 'respect the Constitution.'
- Walz’s office cited reports that some U.S. citizens who refused to move back were allegedly pushed, handcuffed, transported to federal facilities, and held in isolation for hours.
- Walz encouraged Minnesotans to continue exercising their rights while avoiding escalation and recording interactions only when safe and lawful.
- Article includes new Trump remarks criticizing Minnesota’s Somali community and Gov. Walz amid the ongoing ICE operation; DHS response pending.
December 10, 2025
10:39 PM
Gov. Walz urges Noem to review Minnesota ICE arrests after reports of detained U.S. citizens
New information:
- Gov. Tim Walz publicly urged DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to review Minnesota ICE arrests after reports that U.S. citizens were detained during the operations.
- The governor’s request adds a state-level call for scrutiny to ongoing federal enforcement actions in the Twin Cities.
5:44 PM
ICE agents pepper spray crowd after allegedly detaining U.S. citizen in Minneapolis
New information:
- ICE agents used pepper spray to disperse a crowd blocking vehicles during an enforcement action in Cedar-Riverside.
- Council Member Jamal Osman says agents detained a 20-year-old U.S. citizen named Mobashir, transported him to a Bloomington detention center, then released him without transportation.
- AP video corroborates the pepper-spray confrontation as agents checked identifications in the neighborhood.
12:04 AM
Federal agents use pepper spray on crowd in Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis amid Trump crackdown
New information:
- Federal agents used pepper spray on a crowd in a Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis during an enforcement action on Dec. 9, 2025.
- This Minneapolis incident is a separate use-of-force episode from the St. Paul (Bro‑Tex) operation previously reported, indicating continued, city‑wide enforcement under the Trump administration’s crackdown.
December 09, 2025
5:59 PM
ICE operations in Minnesota: What cities are saying
New information:
- Additional Twin Cities cities (Edina, Bloomington, Burnsville, Golden Valley) issued statements outlining that they do not ask about immigration status, are not notified of ICE operations, and only enforce state/local laws.
- FOX 9 cites approximately 100 federal agents deployed to Minnesota as part of the operations, with several reported raids in various cities.
3:54 AM
4 immigrants arrested in Minneapolis ICE roundup sue feds, fight detention
New information:
- Four immigrants arrested since Operation Metro Surge began Dec. 1 filed federal lawsuits in Minnesota challenging their detention.
- A total of 11 immigrants have filed lawsuits in December; nearly all challenge detention, with at least three facing deportation.
- Plaintiffs cite asylum eligibility, a pending visa application, or eligibility for naturalization as grounds.
- Abdul Dahir Ibrahim (of Shakopee), ordered removed in 2004, was arrested Nov. 29; DHS publicized his arrest and referenced prior Canadian convictions; he awaits a hearing on a status-renewal application.
- Mahamed Cabdilaahi Awaale, who came from Somalia in 2022 after family violence, is seeking asylum.
- Plaintiffs come from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Honduras, Egypt, and Mexico.
December 05, 2025
12:50 PM
ICE: 12 criminal illegal aliens arrested in Minneapolis operation, including Somali gang member
New information:
- ICE states 12 noncitizens with criminal histories were arrested in a Minneapolis operation.
- Among those arrested, ICE says one individual is identified as a Somali gang member.
1:24 AM
ICE arrests several individuals in Twin Cities during 'Operation Metro Surge'
New information:
- ICE conducted 'Operation Metro Surge' beginning Dec. 1 and arrested 12 people in the Twin Cities for alleged immigration violations.
- One arrestee is described as a Twin Cities gang member; others have convictions including child sexual abuse, domestic abuse, assault, and DUI.
- Arrestees are from Somalia, Mexico, and El Salvador.
- Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly responded alongside faith leaders following President Trump’s comments about Somali immigrants.
12:41 AM
DHS claims half of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent, total number not shared
New information:
- DHS says a targeted operation in Minneapolis–Saint Paul found approximately half of the cases it investigated were fraudulent.
- Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin specifies case types reviewed: naturalization, H‑1B visas, marriage fraud, and the Ukrainian humanitarian parole program.
- DHS cites more than 95,000 pending immigration applications/petitions in Minnesota, with about 6,500 listing Somalia as country of origin.
- DHS did not provide totals behind the 'half' figure or information on resulting criminal charges; FOX 9 has requested data.
December 03, 2025
5:30 PM
Trump targeting Somali community: How many Somalis live in Minneapolis?
New information:
- Census-based estimate: about 33,521 people of Somali descent live in Minneapolis.
- Twin Cities metro estimate: more than 83,000 people of Somali descent; statewide about 107,000 (lower statewide estimate ~76,000; metro ~64,699).
- Foreign-born Somali Minnesotans: roughly 41,000, with about 87% naturalized citizens.
- Somalis comprise about 2.26% of the Twin Cities metro population and 1.88% of Minnesota’s total population (using the higher estimate).
5:13 PM
LIVE UPDATES: ICE operations in Minneapolis reportedly starting Wednesday
New information:
- FOX 9 reports immigration enforcement operations are beginning in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
- A deportation-flight protest rally is scheduled for 11 a.m. at MSP Airport.
- A 3 p.m. community response/press event is planned to denounce the targeted ICE deployment.
- Includes new on‑the‑record Trump quotes saying he does not want Somali immigrants in the U.S.
5:11 PM
Trump's remarks, threats spark fear in Minnesota’s Somali community
New information:
- Minneapolis and St. Paul city officials say they received credible reports that as many as 100 federal agents will be deployed to the Twin Cities this week to target the Somali community.
- Local business impact: a Karmel Mall cafe owner reports customers staying away out of fear of ICE activity.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem made comments at a cabinet meeting regarding visas that could affect the Somali community (context for potential federal policy shifts).
December 02, 2025
8:35 PM
LIVE UPDATES: ICE reportedly targeting Somalis in Minneapolis
New information:
- City officials held a news conference where MPD Chief Brian O’Hara said the department does not collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement or share information for that purpose.
- President Trump, in a cabinet meeting, said he does not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., accused Somalis of defrauding Minnesota, and criticized Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
- FOX 9 recorded two men being questioned by ICE in Minneapolis on Tuesday afternoon and asked to produce passports.
- Gov. Tim Walz posted on X that he welcomes fraud investigations but called indiscriminate targeting of immigrants a political stunt.