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The brothers of Renee Good, one of two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, called on Congress to do something about the violence on American streets as a result of immigration operations, warning Tuesday that the scenes playing out are “changing many lives, including ours, forever.”
Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and killed Jan. 7. Her death and that of another protester, Alex Pretti, just weeks later have sparked outrage across the country and calls to rein in immigration enforcement.
Brothers Luke and Brett Ganger spoke during a hearing held Tuesday by congressional Democrats to highlight use-of-force incidents by officers from the Department of Homeland Security tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
The mood was sombre as the brothers spoke, often comforting each other as they talked and listened to others speaking.
Trump last week dispatched his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minnesota in a bid to decrease tensions following the Good and Pretti shootings.
Tense incident on Tuesday
Tension remains in the Minneapolis area after the departure of divisive, high-profile commander Greg Bovino of U.S. Border Patrol and the arrival of Homan.
Immigration officers with guns drawn arrested activists who were trailing their vehicles on Tuesday in Minneapolis, while education leaders described anxiety and fear in Minnesota schools from the ongoing federal sweeps.
“There’s less smoke on the ground,” Gov. Tim Walz said, referring to tear gas and other irritants used by officers against protesters, “but I think it’s more chilling than it was last week because of the shift to the schools, the shift to the children.” Walz was speaking at a news conference alongside education leaders who say the presence of immigration officers is frightening some school communities.
At least one person who had an anti-ICE message on clothing was handcuffed while face-down on the ground. An Associated Press photographer witnessed the arrests.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said agents detained the activists because they hindered efforts to arrest a man who is in the country illegally.
Homan, in his first news conference in Minneapolis, said the operation would be more targeted going forward, focusing on unauthorized persons with serious criminal records. But he also warned that protesters could face consequences if they interfere with officers.
While Trump and other administration officials have said they have a mandate from voters for their sweeping deportation efforts, there are signs of discontent within the Justice Department.
A new wave of departures is rippling through the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The latest departures are on top of a half-dozen attorneys who left the office last month amid disagreements over the Justice Department’s response to the shooting of Good. At least one supervisory agent in the FBI’s Minneapolis office is known to have resigned last month as well.
The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As It Happens6:49Minnesota’s attorney general says he fears for his wife, neighbours
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused the Trump administration of “extortion” for demanding the state hand over voter data as it continues its deadly immigration enforcement actions in the state. Ellison told As It Happens host Nil Köksal that the presence of thousands of ICE agents in Minnesota has his neighbours, and his legal immigrant wife, living in fear.
‘What a beautiful American we have lost’
In D.C., Luke Granger didn’t specify what they wanted from Congress, but he painted his sister’s death as a turning point that should inspire change in operations such as those going on in Minneapolis. Granger said his family felt “deep distress” at losing their sister in “such a violent and unnecessary way,”
“The completely surreal scenes taking place on the streets of Minneapolis are beyond explanation. This is not just a bad day, or a rough week, or isolated incidents,” he said. “These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives, including ours, forever.”
The brothers of Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis last month, testified at a congressional forum on Tuesday. Luke Ganger said what has been happening in the city is ‘completely surreal,’ adding: ‘This is not just a bad day or a rough week or isolated incidents.’
Trump administration officials said Good tried to run over an officer with her vehicle. State and local officials in Minneapolis, as well as protesters, have rejected that characterization.
The two brothers didn’t delve into the details of their sister’s death or what the administration has said about her.
Instead, they spoke about her life.
Luke Ganger said the most important thing the brothers could do was to explain to those listening “what a beautiful American we have lost. A sister. A daughter. A mother. A partner and a friend.”
Testifying at a congressional forum on Tuesday, Brent Ganger said his sister Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis last month, ‘had a way of showing up in the world that made you believe things are going to be OK.’ He added: ‘She chose to look for what was good, what was possible and what was worth loving.’
Brett Ganger shared some of the eulogy he had written for his sister’s funeral service. He compared her to dandelions that grow and bring beauty in unexpected places.
“She believed tomorrow could be better than today. She believed that kindness mattered. And she lived that belief,” he said.
Minnesota officials raised alarm after federal officials blocked state investigators from accessing evidence in the Good shooting and declared that Minnesota has no jurisdiction to investigate the killing. The Justice Department also declined to open a civil rights investigation into her death.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week revealed that the Justice Department was opening a civil rights investigation aimed at determining whether the shooting of Pretti, an intensive care nurse.