In the month of January, there has been a rise of shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota committed by immigration custom enforcement (ICE) agents. Namely, three incidents occurred on January 7th, January 14th, and January 24th. These events have sparked protests and political debate all across the United States, and raised controversial debate on topics such as the abuse of power by immigration agents. Sources like the New York Times [6], CNN [7], and Wbur.org [1] have posted several articles and highlights about the shootings, which have sparked outrage in the United States and in countries across the globe as well.
January 7th, 2026: Renee Good
On January 7th, an ICE agent (Johnathan Ross) fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year old American citizen in the south of Minneapolis, in a residential neighborhood near immigrant markets where George Floyd was also killed by police in 2020 [1]. While federal authorities have described it as a ‘defensive action’, witnesses refuted that perspective, explaining how Renee Good was trying to leave the crowd in her car when she was shot. Officials claimed that Good was ‘attempting to run the agents over with her vehicle’, but witnesses maintain she was only trying to leave the scene. This death created an uprising of protests in Minnesota, and large groups of people crowded the streets of Durham, Minnesota [2].
Renee Good was a US citizen born in Colorado and has never been involved with law enforcement besides getting a traffic ticket. She was a mother of 3 children and was a poet new to the city of Minneapolis [3].
January 14th, 2026: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
On January 14th, about 2 weeks ago, a man was shot and injured during an ICE intervention in Minneapolis. He is now being held for trial for assaulting a federal officer. This shooting was less popular regarding reaching the headlines – the January 7th and 24th shootings have received more attention since they were fatal. The Department of Homeland Security released public statements [4] about the January 14 case. Sosa-Celis was accused of striking an ICE officer during an arrest, which led the officer to fire his weapon and strike him in the leg. Documents from the legal court have shown how Sosa-Celis was in the United States illegally.
ICE agents were attempting to arrest Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, who was also accused of striking an officer and being an illegal citizen in the US. While ICE officers were trying to arrest him, Sosa-Celis was attempting to hit an agent with a broom, yelling “let him go”. The officer struck him in the thigh, and news releases have been posted on the DHS on January 15th. The 2 men are currently in ICE custody [4]. This arrest led to protests in their neighborhood.
January 24th, 2026: Alex Pretti
On January 24th, the Minneapolis police confirmed in the morning that a 37-year-old citizen named Alex Pretti was fatally shot in a neighborhood called Whittier [5]. The Department of Homeland Security states that Pretti was armed with a gun. However, witness accounts describe how many agents were striking him repeatedly on the ground with a handgun before Pretti was dead. While Alex Pretti also had a concealed gun, he was legally allowed to own and carry one. Many accounts highlight confusion about whether he was armed or not, but videos only confirm that he was holding up a phone to record the ICE agents. Officials claimed Pretti threatened the agents with a gun, but videos taken of the scene suggest otherwise.
Rising Protests and Action
“Minnesota has had it,” said Governor Tim Waltz recently. He tweeted on the morning of January 24th that these incidents were absolutely sickening and that the President had to end this ICE operation. Online, he announced, “Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota” [5]. Many people across the nation agree with Waltz and have been expressing their opinions online as well as on the streets in protest. Many Americans have advocated that ICE must seize their violent operations; otherwise, people could continue to get hurt, similar to the series of shootings in Minnesota. Waltz has additionally created the Minnesota National Guard to accompany protests as well.
Additionally, on January 24th, reporters and associated press posted articles about how several activist groups marched at the CCB plaza for an hour in downtown Durham to protest the latest shooting of Alex Pretti [2].
The deaths of Good and Pretti have fueled protests in Minnesota and across the United States. This controversy has also raised legal and political discussion over federal power regarding ICE and constitutional rights, as well as the control of immigration enforcement in the United States.
Sources:
[1]: https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/01/07/minneapolis-shooting-ice-enforcement
[2]: https://www.wral.com/news/local/protestors-gather-durham-latest-mn-ice-shooting-january-2026/
[3]: https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/01/08/renee-nicole-macklin-good-mother-poet
[6]: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/us/minneapolis-shooting-ice
[7]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/25/us/video/minneapolis-ice-shooting-alex-pretti-visual-analysis-digvid