ICE shootings spark outrage, protests across the country demanding accountability

John Yang:

Good evening. I'm John Yang. This week's series of shootings by federal agents enforcing President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has sparked a weekend of protests. There were rallies and demonstrations across the country. They were organized after a woman was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday and a Customs and Border Protection agent wounded two people the next day in Portland, Oregon.

In Minneapolis, crowds gathered in the city where an ICE officer shot and killed 37 year-old- Renee Nicole Good and demanded that ICE leave. Voices of anger and outrage were heard across the country.

Steven Eubanks, Protester:

Killing people in the streets intimidation tactics is horrifying and we can't allow it. We have to stand up.

Woman:

We want ICE off the streets.

John Yang:

From Durham, North Carolina, to rainy Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, demonstrators in hundreds of cities and towns took to the streets in a mass protest dubbed the ICE out for Good Weekend of Action. Some protesters say ICE is overstepping its legal power and jeopardizing public safety. For others, the threat to democracy is just as urgent.

Kelly Mikel Williams, Candidate for U.S. Congress: We will win when we come together, because it's not about them, it's about us. Trump must go now. ICE must go for good.

John Yang:

More protests are scheduled for tomorrow. Lisa Gilbert is the co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive advocacy group that helped organize today's protests. Lisa, what are you hearing from around the country about turnout and whether or not there have been any problems or troubles?

Lisa Gilbert, Co-President, Public Citizen:

Well, turnout has been amazing. We're holding 1,000 plus events, peaceful, lawful vigils around the country in this astounding moment where people are reacting to an atrocity. It was organized in only 48 hours and so the massive numbers we're seeing the number of people turning out telling their neighbors to turn out all of it just demonstrates the real magnitude of the outrage that I think people are.

John Yang:

Were you surprised that it came together so quickly?

Lisa Gilbert:

I think this issue really impacts us all. No one in America should walk the street fearful of masked agents should be worrying that their businesses could be ransacked or facing intimidation and violence or even death just for being a good neighbor I think many people see themselves in this incident have been truly horrified at the escalating violence that they've seen from ICE and CBP and this moment sparked a people are reacting to an abuse of power that they've been watching for many weeks and months.

John Yang:

what was the goal for today what do you hope to accomplish?

Lisa Gilbert:

The goal for today is to have a community led non-violent lawful reaction to the horrors that we've been seeing the deadly violence the terror wielded by ICE the abuse of power from Trump none of it is acceptable. So we want to honor and humanize the lives that have been taken by ICE. We want to demand accountability and transparency and immediate investigation into the killing of Renee Good and just really expose the systematic pattern of violence which, you know, it does not just include Renee.

It includes 30 plus lives that have been lost in ICE detention just in 2025. So calling attention, calling for accountability, these are our goals.

John Yang:

The Trump administration has already said that they're going to send in, deploy more a bigger federal presence into Minneapolis. What do you say to that?

Lisa Gilbert:

I think it is exactly the wrong reaction. People are calling for this nonessential, unnecessary, militarized force to leave. The reaction has been clear. And what more troops will spark is more intensity. And what we want to do is deescalate, focus on accountability for the harms that have already been perpetrated and move forward. This is exactly the wrong direction to go.

John Yang:

Both Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz warned against doing anything that could sort of be served, be used as a pretext for sending in more federal agents. What do you say to that? Was that a concern when you were organizing these events?

Lisa Gilbert:

Well, our events are First Amendment rights protests. So long as they are nonviolent and peaceful, which they have been and which was the goal and undergirded all of our organizing. We were not concerned that what were doing could spark reaction of this nature.

However, we know the Trump administration is seeking any excuse to put further troops into the nation to militarize at higher levels. We've even been fearful, as many know, of the Insurrection Act being invoked at any spurious pretext. So we are of course always worried about what the Trump administration will do. They have clear authoritarian goals.

But I think what we can control is how peaceful and clear our actions are. And they're needed in this moment of violence. We need to stand up together.

John Yang:

And do you think the momentum will keep up tomorrow?

Lisa Gilbert:

I do, absolutely. I think we've only seen growth throughout the day. Yesterday there were 500 events. By the night there were 800, by the morning there were a thousand, and so on and so forth. People are really outraged and it's showing up everywhere across the country and we expect it to continue building.

John Yang:

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, thank you very much.

Lisa Gilbert:

Thank you.