Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said state officials are “not putting up with defiant protesters” as demonstrations following the fatal shooting of an American woman in Minneapolis ripple across the country.
Why It Matters
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent identified in court documents as Jonathan E. Ross shot and killed mother-of-three, Renee Nicole Good, in Minnesota on Wednesday. Administration officials called her an “anti-ICE agitator,” claiming without providing evidence that she was part of a “broader left-wing network.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Good had committed “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Eyewitnesses and officials in Minnesota hit back at the administration’s claims that Good had harassed and posed a danger to ICE agents. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Trump officials’ characterization of her death as “b******,” while Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, responding to a DHS statement, added: “Don’t believe this propaganda machine.”
Protests sprung up across the U.S. since Wednesday, including in Minnesota.
What To Know
“Texas is not Minnesota,” Abbott said in a post to X on Saturday, adding in a second post: “Texas Department of Public Safety not putting up with defiant protesters.”
Police detained multiple people in Austin on Saturday night during anti-ICE protests, according to a reporter for CBS Austin. The reporter said public safety officers had “shot multiple rounds of an unknown object,” thought to be pepper balls, into the crowd.
Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said officials were in the city to “maintain public order and ensure public safety during today’s protest” and would respect peaceful protesting, but would not allow demonstrators to block roads, damage property, or violence to spiral.
Local media reported protests against ICE in Texas sprang up across the state. Two demonstrations took place in Austin on Saturday, according to CBS Austin.
The Minneapolis shooting has invited further scrutiny on ICE activities under President Donald Trump’s administration and the conduct of the law enforcement agency. Some Democrats have threatened to pull back funding for the Department of Homeland Secretary (DHS).
“Kristi Noem has sent ICE into our communities not to keep anyone safe, but has caused chaos and harm, and even death,” Texas Democratic Congressman Greg Casar said on Saturday, referring to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Noem on Sunday said Frey and Walz had “inflamed” the situation and “politicized” the shooting. “These sanctuary cities such as Minneapolis are extremely dangerous for American citizens,” Noem told CNN.
“We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt,” Walz said on Wednesday. “Donald Trump and his administration may not care much about Minnesota, that’s been pretty evident, but we love this state.”
Two people were shot in Portland, Oregon, by an immigration agent on Thursday in a separate incident.
What People Are Saying
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement it “arrests criminal illegal aliens” to make communities “safer,” adding: “Governor Walz and Mayor Frey’s radical sanctuary agenda is doing the opposite—putting Minnesotans at risk.”
“We support and respect the public’s First Amendment right to peacefully assemble and express their views,” Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson, Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, said on Saturday. “However, violence, threats to the public or law enforcement, obstruction of roadways, and damage to property will not be tolerated.”
What Happens Next
The FBI is leading an investigation into the Minnesota shooting. Its outcome is likely to influence both local and national debates over ICE operations and law enforcement accountability in immigration cases.
