In response to the fatal shooting of a woman by ICE officials in Minneapolis, protests have popped up around the country. In Las Cruces, about 100 people showed up at Albert Johnson Park to voice their concerns and frustrations during a vigil.
Attendees held signs saying “ICE Kills” and “How many more” that criticized ICE agents actions in Minneapolis and across the country.
This wave of protests and vigils started after ICE officials fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on January 7th.
Zac Egan, a co-organizer for the event, said that this vigil gives the community a chance to come together after an event like that.
“We are here to honor her and honor her life and also bring awareness to the danger that ICE poses to our communities,” Egan said.
The vigil started with a eulogy that remembered Good’s life. More speakers followed, sharing their experiences and worries while some protesters lined the street.
Egan says that this vigil addresses more than just the shooting in Minneapolis.
“We want to honor the 32 people who have been killed in ICE detention centers as well. Some of those deaths occurred at Fort Bliss which is only an hour's drive away,” Egan said.
However, not everyone shares the same views on the shooting. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says that any loss of life is tragic but the ICE officer acted in self-defense.
“She tried to run a law enforcement officer over. This appears to be in an attempt to kill or cause great bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem said. “The ICE officer, fearing for his life and the other officers around him and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots.”
She continued by saying that this is one example of the rise in violence that ICE has been experiencing.
“ICE alone is facing a 1300% increase in assaults against them and an 8000% increase in death threats against them,” Noem said.
In response to the shooting, Representative Melanie Stansbury said “it is long overdue for Secretary Kristi Noem to go. Under her watch, DHS has become a moral failure and public safety disaster, terrorizing communities with zero accountability.
New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich shared similar concerns. In a social media post, he called the video “incredibly disturbing” and said that “Our government should not be deploying ICE in ways that make our neighborhoods and communities less safe.”
Las Cruces City Councilor Johana Bencomo also spoke at the vigil. She highlighted the community's role in keeping government accountable.
“In the last couple of months, we passed a very strong welcoming city resolution that very clearly says we will not collaborate with ICE in this community and we just have to stay strong to that and hold our law enforcement accountable and hold the line for Las Cruceans,” Bencomo said.
The shooting is still under investigation.
