ICE Shooting Strikes Portland, Protests Continue Across US

Just one day after the deadly Minneapolis shooting of a local driver by an ICE agent, two people were shot in Portland yesterday by members of the Border Patrol, and protests have erupted across the United States.

On Wednesday, a woman – identified as Renee Nicole Good – was shot in her car in Minneapolis, drawing fury from the surrounding neighborhood. The White House quickly responded that the officer, identified as Jonathan Ross, was acting in self-defense, claiming that the woman was trying to run him over after impeding an ongoing ICE operation.

Local bystanders recorded videos of the incident, though, which quickly circulated through news channels and social media. After analyzing the footage, the widespread consensus is that the Trump administration is now attempting to cover up a case of excessive force and violence.

In the video, the woman appears to be blocking ICE agents and allowing nearby cars to continue through, until several ICE officers exit an unmarked vehicle and approach her car. Then, they give her conflicting instructions– one man tells her to move her car out of the way, one man attempts to yank her door open and sticks his hand in through the window, and a third man – Jonathan Ross – walks in front of her car.

Then, as the woman attempts to turn, Ross pulls out his gun and fires into the windshield, delivering a shot to her head before firing twice more through the open driver's side window.

Video analysis shows that the woman's wheels were clearly pointed to the right, not at the ICE agent. Additionally, as the gunshots ring out, Ross is no longer in front of the car– he actually jumps out of the way, with his feet on the side of the car. While video taken from across the street appears to show the car hitting the ICE officer, these two videos together actually prove that the officer was able to move out of the way and the use of force was not required at all.

Additionally, after the situation had unfolded, civilians flocked to the area to try to help. Good sat in her car, unconscious, and one physician nearby attempted to help. However, he was stopped by ICE officers, who denied him access to the site of the shooting despite his claims of his physician status. Good was taken to the hospital and died later on.

This directly violates the code of conduct for most police departments, but ICE maintains a slew of untrained officers who are not aware of these characteristics. As law enforcement, all officers must hold civilian lives above their own, and the use of excessive force or violence on an unarmed woman goes directly against that.

Nevertheless, the Trump administration continues to claim that the woman is the culprit in the situation– Vice President JD Vance proclaimed that her death was "a tragedy of her own making," and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the woman's manipulation of the ICE operation is, in itself, "an act of domestic terrorism."

Local officials have disagreed with the administration, though, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz calling the White House a "propaganda machine" and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey labeling Noem's accusations as "bull****."

Most local protests have taken place at the Whipple Building, which serves as the headquarters for ICE in Minneapolis. Thousands of protesters have gathered at the building over the past two days, with federal agents spraying them with chemical agents and tear gas. Some demonstrations turned violent, with civilians and authorities clashing, and several people were also taken into custody.

Furthermore, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (MBCA) confirmed yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken them off the case. According to officials, the FBI will now be the sole investigation agency handling the case, and the MBCA will no longer have access to any of the materials from the site. This drew suspicion from Democrats that the Trump administration is attempting to interfere in the investigation– usually, state agencies are allowed to investigate alongside federal agents in major crimes. Walz backed this up, expressing doubt that the findings will be any sort of "fair outcome" if local investigations are not allowed to continue.

Meanwhile, another shooting struck, this time in Portland, Oregon. According to local reports, federal agents belonging to the US Border Patrol shot two people at an alleged traffic stop before driving away, and the victims were forced to wait until local police arrived to call for help.

Both people were sent to the hospital, one of which required a tourniquet, but their current condition is unknown. Oregon officials are still investigating the situation, but the Department of Homeland Security claims that the two victims were members of a gang known as Tren de Aragua and attempted to run over the officers, who fired defensive shots before fleeing the scene out of fear.

Nevertheless, this second shooting has worsened protests against Homeland Security and ICE that are already taking place in numerous cities across the country.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Despite being landlocked, Mongolia has a small navy consisting of seven men and one tugboat, the “Sukhbaatar III,” stationed on Lake Khövsgöl. The boat's patrols are primarily for tourism and transport, though.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. (Peter F. Drucker)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gumbo (noun, GUM-boh) - Gumbo refers to a soup thickened with okra pods or filé and containing meat or seafoods and usually vegetables. The word is also used figuratively to refer to a mixture or blend of something.

In a Sentence: The reputation of the family’s gumbo guaranteed them an invitation to any and all neighborhood potlucks.

Image credit to KPR