Jan. 9, 2026 5 AM PT
To the editor: As a military veteran, I swore an oath to the Constitution — not to a party, not to a president and not to an agency. That oath was to defend the rights and lives of people, and to ensure that force is used lawfully, proportionally and as a last resort.
The killing of a woman during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minneapolis demands serious reflection (“ICE officer kills a Minneapolis driver in a deadly start to Trump’s latest immigration operation,” Jan. 7). Federal authority does not override the Constitution’s guarantees of due process or the fundamental obligation of government to protect human life. Immigration status does not nullify those principles.
When enforcement actions begin to resemble military operations — and civilians are killed in the process — something has gone dangerously wrong. Governors are not spectators in moments like this. They have both the authority and the responsibility to protect the people within their states. Deploying the National Guard to stabilize situations and safeguard civilians is not defiance of federal law; it is the exercise of constitutional federalism.
This is not an argument against immigration enforcement. It is an argument against unchecked force and secrecy. No agency should operate beyond meaningful oversight.
Congress and state legislatures must act. There should be immediate independent review of this incident, public transparency around ICE use-of-force policies and clear guardrails enforced through law — not internal assurances. Accountability is not anti-law enforcement. It is the foundation of a free society.
If we abandon that standard, we abandon the Constitution itself.
Jeff Lind, Lindenhurst, Ill.
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To the editor: Slowly, we have dehumanized victims of violence. In this case, as the Los Angeles Times reported, “The 37-year-old woman was shot.” This is followed by the federal government placing blame everywhere but on itself.
My perspective is to think of the tragedy of Renee Nicole Good as if my wife were in the same situation. She might have been dumbstruck by the agents’ presence and demands and may have panicked.
Think of it from Good’s perspective: Suddenly, there are armed people pointing weapons at her, yelling. Not having anyone to calm her down, she could have become so disoriented that she would panic. Then what? Try to put the car in park? Accidentally hit the gas rather than the brake? Who knows what else? And Good cannot tell us.
And who is to blame? Frankly, a United States Congress that allows this president unfettered dictatorial powers. It is guilty of allowing this administration to run roughshod over the Constitution, our laws and our norms. Shame on Congress for allowing the events that led to the killing of Renee Nicole Good.
Steve Saeta, Santa Rosa Valley