Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith stated Sunday that the Trump administration was “making an attempt to cowl up what occurred” in the deadly capturing of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mom of three, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
ABC Information obtained cellular phone video of the incident that was taken by the ICE agent who fired the photographs.
“I believe what we’re seeing right here is the federal authorities — [Department of Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem, Vice President [JD] Vance, [President] Donald Trump — making an attempt to cowl up what occurred right here within the Twin Cities, and I do not assume that individuals right here and across the nation are believing it,” Smith informed ABC Information’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
Trump administration officers have asserted that Good was making an attempt to run over the ICE officer together with her automobile, prompting the officer to shoot her in what they are saying was self-defense. Noem stated Good’s actions had been an act of “home terrorism.”
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., seems on ABC Information’ “This Week” on Jan. 11, 2026.
ABC Information
Native officers and lots of Democratic lawmakers have disputed DHS’s evaluation of the incident.
“You might be saying the administration is attempting to cowl up this capturing. That is a fairly critical cost. What do you imply precisely,” Raddatz requested.
“What I imply by that’s which you can see every little thing that they’re doing is attempting to form the narrative, to say what occurred, with none investigation,” Smith stated.
Smith went on to criticize the administration for its response to the capturing.
“What I believe is crucial to remember right here is that if we’ll belief the federal authorities, how can we belief the federal authorities to do an goal, unbiassed investigation, with out prejudice, when at first of that investigation they’ve already introduced precisely what they noticed — what they assume occurred.”
Smith stated she has “seen nothing in any of the eyewitness movies, nor in any of the eyewitness experiences from this tragic day, that will counsel that [Good] was in any method a menace to those officers.”
“Legally, do you assume the ICE officer — definitely stated he feared bodily hurt. Is that potential in your eyes?” Raddatz pressed.
“It is exhausting for me, wanting on the proof that I’ve seen, to imaging how he might really feel bodily hurt,” Smith stated.
The FBI is investigating the capturing, however Minnesota officers stated that the federal authorities has minimize them out, blocking state companies from accessing case materials.
“After which they bar, from collaborating within the investigation, the unbiased state investigators who regularly collaborate with federal investigators on — when there are issues that must be regarded into. So, I imply, I believe they’ve simply fully destroyed any credibility as they’ve so shortly rushed to judgement.”
The deadly capturing of Good sparked country-wide protests towards ICE presence in American cities. In Minneapolis, native officers keep that the protests have been largely peaceable.
Listed below are extra highlights from Smith’s interview:
On the actions of the ICE officer across the capturing, as captured by movies
Smith: I perceive how regulation enforcement, skilled regulation enforcement, is educated. They’re educated to deescalate conditions, not make some worse, not make battle worse. They’re definitely educated to step out of the best way of a shifting automobile, not place themselves in the course of a shifting automobile. And no skilled regulation enforcement would love, change phrases or banter with someone who’s engaged of their authorized proper to protest after which lose management, which is, you already know, which appears to be like to me like what occurred right here.
Message to folks protesting capturing, ICE’s presence in communities
Smith: In fact it’s important that we’ve peaceable protests. And what I’ve been saying to folks, in all of the alternatives I’ve once I speak to folks on the road is that, that the Trump administration desires to foment chaos and division and concern and even violence. And it’s important that we don’t fall into that lure, that our, our power is in our unity, our power is in our peaceable demonstrations. And, you already know, we is not going to give in. We is not going to form of collapse to the concern and the chaos that they’re attempting to create, they’re creating, however we are going to meet that with unity and with peace.
