Hundreds more federal agents were heading to Minneapolis, the US homeland security chief said on Sunday, brushing aside demands by the Midwestern city’s Democratic leaders to leave after an immigration officer fatally shot a woman protester.
In multiple TV interviews, Kristi Noem defended the actions of the officer who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, whose death has sparked renewed protests nationwide against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Homeland Security Secretary Noem reiterated her claim that Good’s actions on Wednesday amounted to “domestic terrorism”, and that the agent acted in self defence when he shot Good in her car.
Prominent Democratic officials, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have strongly disputed this narrative, saying viral footage from the scene showed Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent and posing no threat to his life.
A federal immigration officer uses pepper spray on a person in Minneapolis. Photo: AP
Noem was pressed repeatedly by CNN about how she could make such definitive statements while an investigation into the incident had just begun, but she insisted the administration was in the right.