Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem was ripped by former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director John Sandweg for her comments made after a fatal shooting involving ICE agents in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Newsweek previously reached out to ICE via email on Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
The fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman identified as Renee Nicole Good has set off a nationwide debate over the use of force, immigration enforcement policies, and political rhetoric.
The incident highlights deep divisions on the role and conduct of federal law enforcement in U.S. cities. The event is also significant amid ongoing immigration crackdowns across the country.
What To Know
On Wednesday, the woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Videos from bystanders and social media show ICE officers approaching the woman’s vehicle, demanding she get out of the car, before one officer fired at close range as she seemingly attempted to drive away. Good then crashed a few yards away.
Authorities say the woman attempted to run over agents conducting ongoing immigration and fraud crackdowns in the city.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a post on X about the incident, said in part, “ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them—an act of domestic terrorism.”
McLaughlin continued, “An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots. He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers.”
Noem called the incident an act of “domestic terrorism” by the driver, who was “attempting to run [ICE agents] over and ram them with her vehicle.” Noem said that the agent “defensively shot” in order to “protect himself and the people around him.”
While speaking with CNN about the shooting, Sandweg, who served under former President Barack Obama, said, “I find that to be an incredibly irresponsible statement.
“First of all, the information you get — even at the department — the initial information is almost always wrong. It is very hard to know in Washington, D.C., what exactly happened. That is what investigations are for,” Sandweg said. “But there is no way that you can make those conclusions that this was an act of domestic terrorism, that this woman was targeting ICE Agents. There’s no way that you can make those judgments at this time, given the absolute dearth of information that’s available, even to the secretary of DHS.”
Sandweg said that Noem’s statements do a “disservice” to the agency, the deceased and their family. He added that it “undermines the credibility” of DHS. Sandweg said he’d feel better if Noem said, “We’re going to take a good, hard look at this.”
Former Police Commissioner of Philadelphia Charles Ramsey also told CNN that, “A lot of times, you know, that first information you get is not going to be accurate. That’s why you have to wait until you have facts before you start making those kinds of statements, especially strong statements like ‘domestic terrorism’ and all that sort of thing.”
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Wednesday: “I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self defense.
Trump continued: “Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis. They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!”
Democratic Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz on X on Wednesday: “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine. The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X on Wednesday: “Kristi Noem is a stone-cold liar who has zero credibility. There is nothing to suggest the shooting of an unarmed woman in Minneapolis was justified. This heinous killing must be criminally investigated to the full extent of the law.”
What Happens Next
The event sparked immediate protests in Minneapolis and intensified calls to limit federal law enforcement interventions in U.S. cities.
