Hundreds of people gathered in Clark Park in Detroit Friday evening for a candlelight vigil and rally to protest the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration agent.
This week, anger and outrage spilled out across the nation over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
The Trump administration has described Good as “a domestic terrorist,” alleging she tried to runover the ICE agent with her vehicle. Video of the incident has led many to dispute the federal government’s allegation.
The fatal shooting has enraged anti-Trump activists, including those who gathered in Clark Park Friday night.
Joshua Medina with the People’s Assembly said it’s important to mobilize against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
“Force only understands force,” said Medina, “And by no means I mean that in a violent way, but I mean that in a show of people-power.”
Hundreds of protests against ICE are scheduled across the country this weekend, including several in states like Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, and Florida, according to Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration.
The group and its local chapters organized protests last year in all 50 states.
Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible said he expects the number of protests this week to surpass 1,000.
“This is hitting people who previously were not engaged,” Levin said, pointing out that over the last few days he has seen a rise in veterans, people in rural America, and even some Republican voters speaking out.
Protests are scheduled in several Michigan communities over the weekend, including Midland.
Groups opposed to ICE are also calling for a nationwide walkout to protest Trump administration immigration policies.
Donna Stern is a member of BAMN (By Any Means Necessary). She believes the planned January 20 nationwide walkout could have a significant effect.
“I think a combination of people coming out into the streets and strikes,” said Stern, “could have a really strong effect.”
Stern pointed to efforts in some countries to restrict arms shipments to Israel over its military actions in Gaza as an example of the effectiveness of strikes.
Meanwhile, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has asked the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Good in Minneapolis directly to her office. Moriarty said Friday that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, the decision to keep the investigation into Good's killing by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in federal hands concerns her.
Moriarty on Friday seemed to dispute Vice President JD Vance’s claim that the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good had “absolute immunity” earlier this week.
Moriarty said it was too early to tell whether Good’s death would warrant prosecution against the officer that shot her, Jonathan Ross.
When asked to speculate on the Trump administration’s motives for blocking state investigators from a joint investigation into the shooting, Moriarty said she couldn’t “speak to why the Trump administration is doing what it is doing.”
“I can say the ICE officer does not have complete immunity here,” she added.
