Fatal shooting in Minneapolis by ICE agent sparks protests and vigils in New Jersey

Three bills protecting immigrants in New Jersey were also approved by legislative committees on Thursday

Leaders and activist groups across New Jersey are condemning the fatal shooting of Minneapolis poet Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer.

Good, 37, was shot after federal agents approached her SUV stopped in the middle of the street. She started to drive away when an officer standing next to the vehicle shot her three times in the head.

Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill called the shooting a tragedy in a statement on social media: “I know as a former prosecutor and military veteran that sending armed, masked agents into communities to drive a political agenda does not make us safer, but it instead creates a culture of fear, distrust, and resentment.”

The Trump administration claimed the agent’s actions were defensive. But video footage of the shooting does not match the administration’s account of what happened.

The fatal shooting is sparking protests and vigils nationwide, including outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center and in downtown Newark.

On Thursday, bills that would protect immigrants were passed by the New Jersey Assembly and Senate committees and will now go to the full Legislature. Lawmakers will vote Monday on a package of bills that would strengthen protections for immigrants in New Jersey and limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

One proposal would put existing state guidance into law, restricting when local police can work with immigration agents, banning stops based on perceived immigration status, and requiring clearer rules for visas and for notifying defendants about possible immigration consequences of criminal charges.

Other measures would designate places such as schools, health care facilities and shelters as “sensitive locations,” where federal civil immigration enforcement would be prohibited, and would limit when government agencies and medical providers can ask people for personal information such as their immigration status.