Austin residents continued to voice their outrage over the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman by federal immigration authorities as protests entered their third day. Demonstrations intensified Saturday, with calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to cease their operations in Austin following the death of Renee Good.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Minneapolis when ICE officer Jonathan Ross shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good as she attempted to flee after an encounter with agents. While the Trump administration claimed Good posed a threat, protesters across the nation have rallied to challenge this narrative.
On Saturday evening, tensions escalated outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, where at least five individuals were arrested. A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department reported that pepper balls were deployed to disperse the crowd, although it remained unclear whether APD or state police were responsible for the arrests or the use of pepper balls.
Video footage captured by CBS Austin showed demonstrators clashing with local and state law enforcement before marching down Congress Avenue. Earlier that day, approximately 400 protesters gathered at Austin City Hall, chanting, “No peace! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here!” accompanied by the sounds of a lively brass band.
Educator Joanna Ford expressed her struggle to discuss recent events with her eighth-grade students, particularly the circumstances surrounding Good’s death and geopolitical issues involving Venezuela. With some of her students having recently escaped from Venezuela, Ford felt a profound responsibility to provide them with answers, even as she grappled with her own uncertainties.
“What are we doing, you know? It’s just really disheartening,” she remarked. “I feel like Ms. Good’s death is now going to be a catalyst, and if nothing changes after this, then I’m sorry. I feel like we’re doomed to become a fascist state.”
Elizabeth Gray, a retired city employee, criticized the preventable nature of Good’s death. She argued that ICE’s presence in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland represents a fundamental failure of local and federal governance.
“I think it symbolized a complete separation of government, what government is supposed to do and what government is doing,” Gray stated. “And I think that this murder symbolized the complete failure of our government to be of, by, and for the people.”
Congressman Greg Casar, representing the Austin area, joined the rally at City Hall, encouraging attendees to persist in their protests. He read a message from Good’s wife, which highlighted the importance of choosing “courage and kindness” and recognizing that “there is good in this world.”
“There has to be a world where things get better,” Casar concluded his remarks.
Earlier, outside the Capitol, Renee Fuentes and her friend Monica Castillo waved Mexican flags as passing drivers honked in support. Fuentes expressed her fear regarding Good’s shooting, reflecting on a time when immigrants were welcomed by the federal government during the Reagan administration. She asserted that the incident illustrates how ICE targets both citizens and noncitizens alike.
“That could have been me, it could have been her, it could have been any of us that are here right now,” Fuentes stated. “You can’t even be American with ICE anymore. Everybody should be afraid of ICE right now, not just immigrants, but us, as well.”
Fuentes was among dozens who gathered Friday outside the Capitol gates for a peaceful demonstration. The event lasted about an hour, with a small contingent of Department of Public Safety troopers monitoring from the Capitol lawn. One individual was arrested for criminal trespassing, although he was not part of the demonstration.
