If you haven’t yet seen the video of an ICE agent murdering a U.S. citizen in cold blood today in Minneapolis, it’s utterly horrifying and also 100% clear that the woman was driving away, not posing ANY danger to the ICE agents, and that there’s ZERO excuse for what this agent (paid for by OUR tax dollars, by the way!) did. To the contrary, as Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, ICE should “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” Also, this agent should be arrested TODAY and charged with murder.
So I’m going to be grading the reactions by Virginia politicians to this cold-blooded murder, by a masked thug, in Minneapolois. First, though, check out the video of the cold-blooded murder…
Below, I’ll post reactions from Virginia elected officials as I see them.
- First, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04)’s statement makes it crystal clear that “ICE just shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis” and that the “reports from the ground are haunting.” And she’s correct that we “need a full and independent investigation into the action by ICE that led to this tragedy.” My only quibble is that I’d like to see our leaders call for the ICE agent’s arrest, immediately, as well as for serious accountability for the leaders of ICE, DHS, etc. (Although yes, I understand that Democrats hold no real levers of power in Washington, DC, so it’s more up to them to publicly speak out and to demand action by their Republican colleagues). Anyway, I’d give her statement a “B+/A-” (would have been an “A” if she had called for the agent’s arrest).
- Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) retweets Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN05)’s post about DHS flat-out lying (that the citizen “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them,” as clearly (as Rep. Omar points out) “there was no attempt to run the officer over and no ICE agents appear to be hurt.” By the way, I’d give Rep. Omar’s tweet an “A” for sure.
- Also, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08)’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Aaron Fritschner, gets an A+ for his absolutely spot-on reactions.
- Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA10): “There is little attempt by @kristinoem to be factually accurate and her statement was irresponsible as usual. You are supposed to call for a full and fair investigation and put an independent person in charge. Also where is the agent? What training and background check did he have? Put Kristi in front of Congress tomorrow without her stupid costumes.” Comstock gets a high grade (B+?) for her response…just wish everyone would call for the arrest of the murderer.
- Sen. Tim Kaine: “I’m aware of the heartbreaking news out of Minneapolis and am monitoring the situation for additional updates. My prayers are with all impacted today.” (This statement gets an incomplete for now…we’ll see if he weighs in further)
- Strong statement by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA11): “Today, ICE shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis. And now, unsurprisingly, the Trump Administration is lying about it. The lawless Republican mass deportation agenda is creating chaos and violence in communities across the nation. It needs to end.” I’d give this a B+/A-; again, I’d love to see calls for the immediate arrest of the ICE agent who murdered a woman in cold blood.
- Former Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA05): “An ICE agent shot and killed this driver. That is indisputable and outrageous. The victim’s family and all Americans deserve an investigation and accountability.” (this statement gets an A-/B+)
- Sen. Mark Warner: “For months, we’ve been warning that Trump’s enormous growth and reckless empowerment of ICE – which has a bigger budget than the militaries of almost every country on earth – would have serious consequences. We need a full investigation into what happened in Minneapolis. I’m horrified by what I’ve seen. ICE is not above the law.” (This statement gets a B minus…should note that “what happened in Minneapolis” was murder, and also call for the murderer to be arrested)
- Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA10): “Many Americans are fearful of lethal consequences for exercising their First Amendment right to protest this corrupt administration. An investigation is needed into this ICE shooting.” (B on this statement)
- VA Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell: “Bijan Ghaisar was an unarmed accountant who was shot four times in the head by United States Park police in 2018 while his car was slowly moving away 3 blocks from my house – Trump refused to prosecute then and he’ll refuse to prosecute now” (Question: Can the city or state prosecute?)
- Loudoun County Chair Phyllis Randall: “Renee Good was not threatening ICE, in fact she was trying to leave. And can you blame her? Four masked men, who didn’t identify themselves, who were not in a marked vehicle, walk up to her car, one grabs the car handle and tells her to “get the f&%k out. ICE was in zero danger. This was an execution and theICE ‘agent’ should be tried for murder.” (This statement gets an A+ grade from me!)
- VA01 Democratic candidate Shannon Taylor:
“The horrific shooting of Renee Nicole Good by ICE personnel in Minneapolis demands a full, independent investigation to determine exactly what happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Any use of force that puts innocent people at risk is unacceptable and undermines both public trust and public safety.
As someone who has dedicated my career to keeping people safe, I believe accountability and transparency are essential — not just to protect the public, but also to keep law enforcement officers safe. I call on members of Congress to use their oversight authority to obtain and review operational records from the Department of Homeland Security.
What is already clear is that something went terribly wrong. A life was lost, and that is unacceptable. There must be real accountability for the failures that led to this tragedy so that it never happens again.”
