DETROIT – Hundreds of residents marched through the streets of Southwest Detroit on Friday, protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and voicing outrage over the death of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
The protest, organized by several Detroit activist groups, hit close to home in Southwest Detroit’s immigrant community, where residents say Good’s death has heightened existing fears about ICE operations.
“It was just an execution in broad daylight, and people are just directly misrepresenting what happened,” said resident Tyler Knox.
Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have disputed the federal government’s account of the shooting.
The incident, which occurred during an ICE operation in Minneapolis, has sparked nationwide controversy amid conflicting witness accounts about what led to the fatal shooting.
“As soon as I saw that video, I just started crying. It’s just terrifying. Anybody can be a victim of ICE,” said Declan Cady.
In response to the incident, Detroit City Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero has initiated legislative action by sending inquiries to the city’s Legislative Policy Division about legal options to ban or limit ICE operations, particularly on city property and at sensitive locations such as schools, clinics, hospitals, and places of worship.
--> Vigil honoring Renee Good draws community support in Ann Arbor
Santiago-Romero also sent a memo to Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison about the relationship between local law enforcement and ICE, requesting information, including how many times ICE sought DPD assistance for backup or perimeter security during enforcement actions in 2025, and the approval process for ICE assistance requests.
“We should not be going into spaces, especially with children, with families, and literally kidnapping people. That’s unacceptable,” said Mae Davis.
Protesters opposed any cooperation between local police and ICE.
“If the city council and the mayor are going to take effective action, it means absolutely not allowing the police to protect ICE in any way, shape, or form,” said local activist Donna Stern, with the organization BAMN.
“The murder of Renee proves that living in militarized communities puts us all in danger – citizen or not,” Santiago-Romero wrote in a social media statement addressing the Minneapolis shooting,
The ICE Detroit Field Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the protests or Santiago-Romero’s inquiries.