In recent weeks, the United States has seen a surge of public outrage and nationwide protests following a string of fatal shootings involving federal immigration enforcement agents.
Three Americans — Renée Nicole Good, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, and Keith Porter Jr. have lost their lives in separate incidents that have drawn intense scrutiny, legal challenges, and calls for accountability.
On January 7, 2026, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old mother and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was shot and killed by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent identified as Jonathan Ross.
Good was seated inside her vehicle on Portland Avenue South when agents approached during a localized immigration operation. As her vehicle moved away, the agent fired multiple shots, striking and killing her.
Federal officials labeled the shooting an act of self-defense, but eyewitnesses and local lawmakers disputed that account, saying the use of lethal force was unjustified and calling for independent criminal investigations.
Just over two weeks later, on January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and Minneapolis resident, was shot and killed by agents from United States Customs and Border Protection during Operation Metro Surge, a major federal enforcement campaign.
Pretti had been documenting an immigration enforcement action when videos show him attempting to assist a woman on the ground after she was pushed by agents.
He was pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground by multiple agents, and then shot multiple times.
Federal authorities claimed Pretti approached officers with a firearm and resisted disarmament, but widely reviewed bystander video shows him holding only a cellphone before the fatal shots.
Pretti’s death renewed protests across the Twin Cities and beyond, intensifying criticism of federal tactics.
The deaths of Good and Pretti came amid a broader pattern of federal force used during immigration operations, but another fatal shooting occurred days earlier in Southern California.
On December 31, 2025, Keith Porter Jr., a 43-year-old father of two from Carson, California, was fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent, Brian Palacios, outside his apartment complex in Northridge.
Local law enforcement reported that Porter, who was firing celebratory shots into the air, was confronted by the off-duty agent. The agent fired at Porter, killing him at the scene.
Porter’s family and community members have pushed for the agent to be identified, arrested, and charged, and have held vigils and public gatherings in his memory.
These deaths have not only generated local grief but sparked national protests, demonstrations, and organized actions including a nationwide “no work, no school, no shopping” strike called by activist groups opposed to federal immigration enforcement tactics.
Critics argue that the incidents reflect a pattern of excessive force by ICE and Border Patrol agents, particularly in the context of the expanded deployment of immigration officers under current federal policy.
Civil rights groups, lawmakers, and community organizations have demanded transparent investigations into all three shootings, while families of the victims continue to call for accountability and justice.
As these cases evolve, they remain central to the broader national conversation on immigration, policing, and the limits of federal law enforcement authority.
