Renee Good's family files civil rights lawsuits against US officials over fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting

Federal lawsuits filed in Minneapolis

The family of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three killed by a federal immigration officer in January, filed two federal lawsuits on Thursday against the United States government and several senior officials. The legal actions were brought by Good's partner, Becca Good, and her brother, Brent Ganger, seeking damages and a jury trial in federal court. One lawsuit alleges wrongful death under Minnesota state law, citing battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. The second lawsuit alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights, naming Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as defendants.

Law firm Romanucci and Blandin, representing the family, stated that the operation intentionally escalated tensions on the ground.

Renee's death was not an accident. It was the predictable result of a coordinated campaign by senior officials in this administration to target Minnesotans of Somali or Hispanic origin and silence anyone who dared to raise their voice in protest.

Details of the January confrontation

The shooting took place on 7 January 2026 on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge, a federal deployment involving thousands of immigration agents. Good had joined daily demonstrations opposing the armed sweeps and stopped her red SUV in the street to observe an enforcement action. Video recorded at the scene showed Ross circling Good's vehicle on foot while recording with his mobile phone. Good spoke to the officer from inside the vehicle shortly before the shooting.

That's fine, dude, I'm not mad at you.

A second immigration officer approached and ordered Good to exit the vehicle. Video footage documented Good reversing briefly before turning the steering wheel to the right to drive forward. Ross moved toward the front left of the vehicle, shouted, and fired into the windshield. Ross then moved alongside the open driver-side window and fired two additional rounds, striking Good three times in the head, arm, and torso. Federal officials argued at the time that the officer acted in self-defense, initially labeling Good a domestic terrorist.

Aftermath and resignations in the Justice Department

The fatal shooting of Good triggered demonstrations in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. Additional violence followed in Minneapolis during the same deployment. Days after Good's death, an ICE officer shot and wounded Venezuelan delivery driver Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg. On 24 January 2026, two Customs and Border Protection officers fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti, a nurse employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Internal conflict developed inside the federal government following the shooting on Portland Avenue. The United States Department of Justice instructed federal prosecutors in Minneapolis not to investigate the officers involved in Good's death. That directive led at least six federal prosecutors to resign in protest. None of the officers involved in the shooting of Good or Pretti have faced criminal charges.

President Donald Trump ended Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota in February 2026, while continuing to defend immigration enforcement actions. Across the country, at least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration officers during Trump's second term.