SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
There have been nationwide protests this weekend following the killing of a 37-year-old mother of three in Minneapolis. Renee Good was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last Wednesday. NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán is in the city, following this situation for us. Good morning, Sergio.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Good morning, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: This ICE operation in Minneapolis that led to this death started on January 6, and the Trump administration is calling it the largest federal immigration enforcement ever. What does that look like?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yeah. I think it's important to start with how many federal immigration agents are in Minnesota right now, Sacha, because the number is surprising. The Department of Homeland Security says more than 2,000 immigration agents are on the ground in Minnesota. That's actually more than three times the numbers of officers in the Minneapolis Police Department.
And another thing worth noting here - multiple residents in Minneapolis neighborhoods told NPR they've seen ICE agents going door to door, knocking for undocumented people. Vice President JD Vance, in a recent news conference, said the same - that agents were going door to door to find, quote, "criminal illegal aliens." And this is highly unusual. ICE usually does targeted operations, but this is different. Now, we reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, but the agency did not respond to a request for comment on that.
PFEIFFER: And what about local leaders? What are they saying about ICE's tactics?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Oh, they are frustrated. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in a news conference yesterday, described instances where ICE took migrants from their cars and left the city to deal with towing the vehicles or, in one case, calling animal control to come pick up a dog left in the car. He called this reckless and indiscriminate.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JACOB FREY: This is not about safety, clearly. If this was about safety, you wouldn't do stupid things like that. Somebody's going to get hurt. Somebody has gotten killed.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: And, you know, immigration agents are all over the region. That's what Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says, and he says his department is all hands on deck, dealing with all of this.
PFEIFFER: Sergio, I understand that yesterday, three Democratic members of Congress were barred from touring an ICE facility in Minneapolis. What can you tell us about that?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison showed up at the Whipple federal building. They were initially allowed in but, shortly after, asked to leave and blocked from touring the facility. Under the federal law, members of Congress have the right to make unannounced visits to ICE detention facilities. A D.C. federal court ruling affirmed this last month, saying it applies to facilities that are run with money appropriated by Congress.
The congresswomen, though - they said federal agents told them the Minneapolis facility uses money from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, suggesting it comes from a different bucket and, therefore, unannounced visits are not permitted. That is consistent with a recent memo issued by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week. Here's Congresswoman Craig talking to reporters outside the ICE facility.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ANGIE CRAIG: It is our job as members of Congress to make sure that those folks detained are treated with humanity because we are the damn United States of America, and we don't treat people the way that this administration is treating people.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the visit by the congresswomen was out of compliance with DHS policy. She said asking members to request visits in advance ensures adequate protection for members of Congress, congressional staff, detainees and ICE employees alike.
PFEIFFER: Before you go, can you update us on the status of the investigation into last week's shooting?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. The federal investigation into the shooting of Renee Good is ongoing. The FBI took over the case, keeping state investigators from accessing evidence. State and local authorities are not happy about that, and they're now asking the public for help collecting their own evidence.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on Minneapolis, Sacha. The Trump administration has promised to continue its immigration crackdown in the state. More federal agents could arrive in Minnesota in the next few days. This probably means more protests. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has also said he's ready to deploy the state's National Guard if needed. All of this as the community continues to mourn the killing of Renee Good.
PFEIFFER: That is NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in Minneapolis. Sergio, thank you.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
