Top Democratic leaders in Congress on Thursday denounced the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, demanding investigations and rejecting the Trump administration’s account of the incident.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) addressed the shooting during a joint morning press conference.
They sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and questioned whether federal agencies can fairly investigate the case.
Jeffries called the shooting “an abomination” and accused administration officials of pushing policies he said led directly to Good’s death.
“Let me first say that the killing of Renee Nicole Good was an abomination, a disgrace,” Jeffries said.
“And blood is clearly on the hands of those individuals within the administration who have been pushing an extreme policy that has nothing to do with immigration enforcement connected to removing violent felons from this country.”
He added that while Democrats support deporting violent criminals who are in the country illegally, he believes the current administration has gone far beyond that scope.
“We support the removal of violent felons from this country who are here illegally,” Jeffries claimed.
“But that’s not what this administration has been doing under the so-called leadership of Kristi Noem, who’s a stone-cold liar.
“There’s no evidence at all that this was a justified shooting.”
Schumer echoed Jeffries’ condemnation and said he has little confidence that federal agencies will conduct an impartial review of the incident.
“I watched the video,” Schumer said.
“You felt like your stomach was being punched.
“Looking at the video, there seemed no justification for what these agents did.
“There needs to be a full investigation at the federal level.
“Although I have little faith in the FBI at doing a fair investigation or DHS, but at the local level as well.”
However, videos from the scene clearly show the ICE agent shooting in self-defense while being rammed by Good.
WATCH:
This angle clearly shows the ICE agent being hit and dragged on by the car. Could have easily killed him. pic.twitter.com/3dKIYwR0pA
— Dries Van Langenhove (@DVanLangenhove) January 8, 2026
The comments came as tensions escalated on the ground in Minneapolis.
Hundreds of protesters confronted federal agents Thursday, with authorities reportedly detaining at least four demonstrators during the clashes.
Protesters were heard shouting “shame” at officers and telling them to “go home,” while ICE agents deployed pepper balls and tear gas as scuffles broke out.
Noem defended ICE agents following Wednesday’s deadly encounter, saying officers repeatedly instructed Good to exit her vehicle and stop obstructing law enforcement operations, but that she refused to comply.
According to Noem, Good had been “stalking and impeding” federal agents throughout the day and attempted to “weaponize her vehicle,” claiming she tried to run over a law enforcement officer, an assertion Democrats have forcefully rejected as the debate over the shooting continues.
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