Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday she will continue to stand with law enforcement as protests targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers spread across the country.
The demonstrations followed the shooting of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis by an ICE officer earlier this week. Noem said the woman attempted to drive her vehicle into the officer and described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. The shooting has prompted protests in several cities and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement actions.
“I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am every single day for the men and women who put on the badge and put their lives on the line to protect the American people,” Noem said on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. “With more than 80,000 officers and agents, our Department is the largest law enforcement agency in the federal government.”
Noem suggested that Americans should take a moment to buy law enforcement officers coffee or a meal as a way to say thank you.
“We recognize the sacrifice you and your families make to protect and serve the American people and our great country. President Trump and I will always stand with you,” she said. “Please take some time today to thank an officer or agent today. Make them a meal, buy them a cup of coffee, or simply thank them. To every officer who puts on the badge each day: thank you. Your service is paramount to our nation’s safety.”
The Department of Homeland Security said assaults against its officers have increased sharply, citing a 1,300% rise in attacks, a 3,200% increase in vehicular assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
DHS also said the ICE agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis earlier this week had previously been dragged roughly 100 yards by a vehicle driven by a convicted sex offender during a separate enforcement action.
Despite ongoing protests, Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued enforcement operations Thursday, arresting immigrants with serious criminal convictions. DHS officials described those targeted as among the “worst of the worst,” per the Daily Wire:
-Angelica Maria Lua-Pinon, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 in San Fernando, California.
-Jorge Alberto Olivares-Lagunes, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Hays County, Texas.
-Ricardo Garcia-Villegas, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of murder in Queens, New York.
-Edwin Sanchez-Montiel, an illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of accessory after the fact relating to first-degree murder in Montgomery County, Maryland.
-Inmar Hernandez-Carcamo, an illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of firearms trafficking conspiracy in the U.S. District Court, District of Maryland.
Cellphone video footage released Friday shows the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal immigration agent during a confrontation that has intensified political tensions over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The video was released two days after an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, after authorities say she drove a vehicle toward officers during an encounter on a residential street, Fox News reported.
The footage, taken from an agent’s body camera, shows Good’s Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of the roadway, appearing to block traffic. In the video, Good is heard speaking calmly to one of the agents.
“That’s fine, dude,” she says. “I’m not mad.”
An agent then walks around the vehicle to check the license plate. Moments later, another agent approaches the driver’s side and orders Good to exit the vehicle.
“Get out of the car. Get out of the f—— car,” the agent is heard saying.
Seconds later, Good backs the vehicle up and then drives forward toward the agent wearing the body camera. The agent says “whoa” before multiple gunshots are fired. Good’s vehicle then crashes into a parked car.
