Feds sending more agents into Minneapolis, days after killing of Renee Good

A coterie of state officials plans to make an announcement on the Department of Homeland Security’s “future in Minnesota” Monday afternoon, according to a release.

Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her “will hold a press conference to make an important announcement about Operation Metro Surge and the deployment of federal immigration enforcement agents from numerous agencies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to the State of Minnesota and the Twin Cities,” the release said.

The news conference is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. WCCO will offer coverage on CBS News Minnesota and YouTube.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited the memorial for Renee Good on Monday. 

In a post on social media, Walz said, “Rest in peace.”

Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said Monday morning that 2,000 people have been arrested since federal agents launched an immigration enforcement campaign in the Twin Cities last month.

McLaughlin did not say the citizenship status of the people arrested, or why people have been arrested. Federal agents have also been detaining several protesters and observers.

 As of Dec. 19, ICE had carried out nearly 700 arrests as part of the operation, according to DHS.

Some celebrities on the red carpet of the Golden Globes Sunday donned pins protesting ICE.

The black-and-white pins displayed slogans like “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT,” introducing a political angle into the awards show after last year’s relatively apolitical ceremony.

Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes and Natasha Lyonne wore the pins on the red carpet, while Jean Smart and Ariana Grande donned them once inside the ballroom. Smart had the pin on her dress as she accepted the award for best performance by a female actor in a musical or comedy series. 

Just a week before Good was killed, an off-duty ICE officer fatally shot and killed 43-year-old Keith Porter in Los Angeles. His death sparked protests in the Los Angeles area, calling for the officer responsible to be arrested.

The idea for the “ICE OUT” pins began with a late-night text exchange earlier this week between Stamp and Jess Morales Rocketto, the executive director of a Latino advocacy group called Maremoto.

Allies of their movement have been attending the “fancy events” that take place in the days leading up to the Golden Globes, according to Stamp. They’re passing out the pins at parties and distributing them to neighbors who will be attending tonight’s ceremony.

“They put it in their purse and they’re like, ‘Hey would you wear this?’ It’s so grassroots,” Morales Rocketto said.

The organizers pledged to continue the campaign throughout awards season to ensure the public knows the names of Good and others killed by ICE agents in shootings.

The fatal shooting of Good has raised many legal questions. Constitutional law professor David Schultz, who has taught a class on police, criminal and civil procedure, has some answers.

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WCCO is taking a moment to pause and look back at what’s unfolded over five historic days. As the questions multiply, the mourning does, too. What is clear is that a wounded city is aching again.

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