Discontent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement is at an all-time high across the country after 37-year-old Renée Nicole Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, MN, on January 7. Good is the second person known to be killed by ICE in 2026, after the death of Keith Porter Jr. in Los Angeles, who was shot on New Year’s Eve by an off-duty ICE officer. This also comes after 32 people were reportedly killed in ICE custody last year.
Good was an award-winning poet and Queer woman, married to Becca Good, with whom she was raising a six-year-old son. Two days after her wife’s tragic death, Becca Good released a statement thanking people across the country for their outpouring of love and support, saying that it had been “the most fitting tribute, because if you ever encountered my wife, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her.”
She spoke of her late wife’s guiding value: “No matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness.”
And she described the moments leading up to her wife's death: “We stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns.”
Footage of the incident taken by Ross on his phone showed him approach Good’s vehicle in the street, to which she responded, “It’s fine, dude, I’m not mad at you.”
Ross was then confronted by Good’s wife, who told him to back off, while another ICE agent tried to open the door, yelling, “Get out of the fucking car.” While Good tried to back away, Ross is shown switching the phone in his hand in order to reach for his firearm to fire three shots into the car window. The video shows Good accelerating away and crashing into another parked vehicle. She was reportedly taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she later passed away.
President Trump and several other administration officials have since made unsubstantiated claims about Good being an aggressor in the situation, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem going as far as to label Good a “domestic terrorist.”
Seattle's official response
Several Seattle city-level officials have issued statements condemning Good’s killing, as well as criticizing ongoing operations by the agency in the area. Seattle City Councilmember Eddie Lin (District 2) stated that “ICE is tearing families apart, detaining people regardless of immigration status, often targeting people based on race and language. District 2, Seattle’s most racially diverse district, has already seen an uptick of activity by ICE and other federal officers.”
Councilmember Bob Kettle (District 7) said, “While federal law enforcement agencies have the right to conduct their duties within the city, we expect them to carry out their missions unaided by our local police, except in clear emergency situations, and in a safe manner.”
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (District 8) took aim at Trump in her statement: “We cannot stand by while the Trump regime erodes the foundations of our constitutional republic and kills people in our streets. Whether it’s in Minneapolis or here in Seattle, the regime’s ongoing terror campaign is causing real harm and perpetuating senseless violence across our communities.”
And Dionne Foster, the at-large councilmember for District 9, wrote that “ICE does not belong here in Seattle or in any community. These actions from the federal government undermine not only the social fabric of our community, but they undermine trust in government and our progress toward creating safe communities.”
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson took to social media on January 8 to criticize deployments of ICE under Trump. She first responded to the abduction of three people by ICE at Evergreen Washelli Cemetery in North Seattle on the same day as Good’s death, “I am furious at the federal government’s abuse of power,” she said. “It is unacceptable to kidnap people who are simply going about their lives. There is no place for this in Seattle.”
Wilson then responded to Good’s killing, calling it a murder and emphasizing the stakes of the situation: “These are not abstractions. These are real people, real families, and real harm… I know many people in our community are frightened and outraged about the way ICE and other federal enforcement agencies are being deliberately deployed across the country to intimidate and harm our communities. I am heartbroken and outraged too.”
The mayor acknowledged the limited legal authority the City has to prevent federal law enforcement operations but declared that she and other officials, like City Attorney Erika Evans, would examine every available option at Seattle’s disposal. In her call to action, she encouraged residents to sign up for Washington for All ICE mobilization alerts and to get more involved in holding elected officials accountable in order to keep communities safe.
Vigils and protests
Numerous protests erupted nationally, including in Seattle, in the days since Good’s killing. On the evening of January 7, hundreds of people assembled in front of the Jackson Federal Building to march through the streets. The crowd chanted and carried signs, led by an “Abolish ICE” banner painted in black and white.
The next evening, Seattle Indivisible and Defund Musk held a vigil for Good at Pier 58, at which several speakers voiced their dissatisfaction with her killers. Kathy Herschel of Seattle Indivisible criticized the Trump administration’s narrative of Good’s death: “Instead of sympathy and understanding, the president and his administration smear her with lies… We will not let ICE lies win out.”
David Montes of ACLU Washington called her death a “preciseless murder” [sic] and pointed out how this was not the first time ICE had killed someone.
“We’ve seen this is in LA, in Chicago, in Portland. Renee was on camera, but she was not the first,” he warned.
Several others spoke that evening, including staff from Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s office and Washington Neighborhood Defense, as well as local musician King Youngblood.
Over the weekend, several ICE protests sprouted around the region, from Pyuallup to Mount Vernon, including several localized protests in West Seattle, the U District, U Village, and Capitol Hill.
Support the Seattle Gay News: Celebrate 52 Years with Us!
As the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ newspaper in the United States, the Seattle Gay News (SGN) has been a vital independent source of news and entertainment for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 1974.
As we soon enter into our 52nd year, we need your support to continue our mission.
A monthly contribution will ensure that SGN remains a beacon of truth and a virtual gathering place for community dialogue.
Help us keep printing and providing a platform for LGBTQIA+ voices.
How you can donate!
Using this link: givebutter.com/6lZnDB
Text “SGN” to 53-555
Or Scan the QR code below!
