Walz Orders Minnesota National Guard to Prepare For Deployment Following ICE Killing

(Photo by Alyssa Chen/Minnesota Reformer)

(Minnesota Reformer) – Gov. Tim Walz issued an order for the Minnesota National Guard to prepare to be deployed if necessary following the killing of a 37-year-old woman by a federal immigration agent.

Dozens of members of the State Patrol’s response team have also been activated to respond to possible unrest, Walz said at a news conference at the State Emergency Operations Center.

Walz’s quick action is no doubt informed by his response to the uprising following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, when critics said he was slow to marshal the state’s resources to restore order amid burning and looting, including of a Minneapolis police precinct.

An ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, through her car window in south Minneapolis. Videos of the Wednesday incident show the woman beginning to drive away from the officer as he shot into the car. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said they have yet to see information indicating that the shooting was justified, though the Trump administration is accusing the deceased driver of “domestic terrorism.”