‘It’s time to start doing something.’ Despite risks of violence, Minnesotans step up to take on ICE

By Heather Schlitz

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 24 (Reuters) – When Fabiola, a single mother and naturalized U.S. citizen from Latin America, first learned of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, she said she was heartbroken and terrified.

 Then she joined the thousands of other Minnesotans who have volunteered to track ICE agents since Good was killed – despite her fears for herself and her son Asher, who is seven.

“I do feel scared, but at the same time, I know I have to take care of my people too,” she said.

Activists say they have been overwhelmed by new volunteers – despite the potential for violence – since Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. 

Federal agents on Saturday shot dead a Minneapolis resident, the second person since the Trump administration surged 3,000 immigration enforcement officials to the city. 

Fabiola, who has lived in the U.S. for 20 years and owns a construction company, never knew Good. The mother of three was fatally shot when she stopped her car during an immigration enforcement action,  just blocks from Fabiola’s home.

DHS did not respond to requests for comment on the risks to observers in Minnesota, but officials say federal agents respond with gunfire when they fear for their lives. Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, and other Trump administration officials have described the protesters and observers as “anti-ICE” and “far left” agitators.

WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPEN TO ME

 Fabiola and Asher now blow their whistles when they spot immigration agents on their way to school. She  taught Asher how to identify federal agents by their uniforms, and made him memorize his grandparents’ phone numbers in case she is detained.

Fabiola, who declined to share her last name for fear of retribution, has also started delivering food to people afraid to leave their homes. And she regularly stops by the makeshift memorial to Good.

 “She’s got kids, and her kids don’t have their mom now,” Fabiola said. “If something happened to me, where is my boy going to go?”

 Vice President JD Vance said during a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday that Good was trying to ram Ross with her car. Analyses of bystander video by Reuters and other outlets show Good’s wheels were turned away from Ross, and that his legs were clear of the vehicle when he shot her.

  At least five organizations offer training on how to monitor ICE actions, warn immigrants of their presence and document the use of force against detainees and protesters. Online training for one of those groups has been hitting maximum capacity of 1,000 within hours, said Kate Wegener, an immigration attorney who leads the trainings.

“We were fearful that attendance would be lower after her death, but it was the complete opposite,” she said.

The sessions typically offer safety tips: stay at least eight feet from federal agents; follow orders given by officers and keep one’s distance when driving behind convoys of agents. 

Some of the observers are hyper-aware of the risks. Janet, a resident of a Minneapolis suburb who declined to share her last name out of fear of doxxing, said she has written letters to friends and family to be opened if she’s killed.

Minnesota authorities at state and local levels have encouraged the observers. Governor Tim Walz has urged residents to take out their phones and document federal agents.

The observers, often identified by their fluorescent green vests and whistles looped around their necks, are now an increasingly common sight along busy roads and residential neighborhoods when the heavily armed, masked federal agents dressed in tactical gear are deployed. 

The community pushback has had some effect. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino on Wednesday said the city presented a “difficult operating environment” for enforcement agents. 

 Organizers compared the level of engagement to the surge of activism following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. 

‘I KIND OF WOKE UP’

On a recent day, two new volunteers, a married couple, straddled their bikes next to a busy intersection on the lookout for ICE agents. Snow gathered on their jackets and frost clung to their eyelashes. 

“I kind of woke up to what was happening when Renee Good was killed – I knew bad things were happening, but hadn’t realized quite how bad it was yet,” said Aaron, who is 41 and works in marketing. He declined to share his last name out of fear of retribution. “And then when that happened, it was like, it’s time to start doing something.”

Earlier that day, he said he had adjusted his six-mile run to cover neighborhoods where residents had reported ICE sightings near schools.  

Pushing back against immigration enforcement carries risk. The immigration observers have been teargassed and arrested. State authorities said Friday they were compiling data on arrests but it was not immediately available.

‘GUMMING UP THE WORKS’

For Patty O’Keefe, a 36-year-old non-profit worker, those risks underline the importance of the observers.

“They wouldn’t be working so hard to intimidate us and utilizing all those resources if we weren’t actually being successful in gumming up the works of their operation or slowing them down,” O’Keefe said.

Earlier this month, as she was following ICE agents in her car, she said five federal agents shattered her car window, handcuffed her, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She said ICE agents photographed her, insulted her and held her for eight hours in a Minneapolis detention center before she was released without charge.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment on O’Keefe’s account of the incident, and Reuters was unable to determine independently what occurred.

She said she now struggles with anxiety – but will continue volunteering. 

“I’m just stubborn, and I’m not wanting to give in to the fear.”

Many residents speak about Good with a sense of reverence, describing her as an inspiration.

On the street where she was killed, dozens of people defied dangerously cold weather to add to the mounds of bouquets, stuffed animals and electric candles glowing through the snow at a makeshift memorial.

“She gave her life for us,” Fabiola said. “Her soul is in heaven, and she protects us.”

(Reporting by Heather Schlitz in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reporting contributed by Emily Schmall in Chicago. Editing by Emily Schmall and Suzanne Goldenberg.)