Photo: Demonstrators called for justice for Renee Nicole Good, who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis, during a gathering at Park Street in Boston on Jan. 8. Robin Lubbock/WBUR photo
US Sen. Ed Markey and US Rep. Ayanna Pressley want to eliminate so-called “qualified immunity” for ICE agents and other federal law enforcement officers in the wake of last week’s killing of a Minnesota woman, who was shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7.
Markey and Pressley say their legislation would give victims and their families the right to sue for civil rights violations and “help deliver accountability for families abused by law enforcement, including ICE agents.”
“When masked ICE agents are allowed to kill and harm people with impunity, we have crossed a dangerous threshold in our nation,”Markey said in a statement announcing the legislation. “All too often, the flawed and judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity shields law enforcement officers from liability, even when they commit egregious misconduct or use excessive force. “The Qualified Immunity Abolition Act,” he said, “abolishes this unjust defense in cases against federal law enforcement officers, allowing victims to vindicate their rights in court. With ICE agents trampling over our laws, our rights, and our communities, we must demand justice and hold wrongdoers accountable.”
Last week, House Republicans in Congress rebuffed a motion by Pressley to subpoena records and footage of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, which drew condemnation from Minnesota officials, including the mayor of Minneapolis, who told ICE to “get the f–k out of Minneapolis” in the hours after the morning slaying, which was captured on video by observers.
Pressley, a member of the House Oversight Committee, called on the Department of Homeland Security to produce evidence to the committee, but her motion failed to pass muster with the GOP-dominated panel.
“The murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota by ICE agents in broad daylight is horrific and unacceptable,” Pressley said. “ICE is a rogue, violent agency that moves with reckless disregard for human life and due process, and it has no business in our communities. It must be abolished and the agents involved must be held fully accountable.
“DHS’s claim that an agent shot in self-defense is a bold-faced lie and the video footage is damning,” Pressley added. “But after I moved to subpoena all records and footage related to this killing, Republicans shamefully voted it down—demonstrating once again that they have never cared about law and order or keeping our communities safe.”
Questions about whether the ICE agent will be held accountable for the shooting continue to swirl. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported on Jan. 9 that the FBI had taken full control of an investigation that initially included state authorities as well.
In the aftermath of Good’s death by gun, President Trump blamed her for her own death and other officials deemed her a “domestic terrorist.”
Massachusetts State Senate President Karen Spilka on Jan. 8 said that “the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents in Minnesota is more than a tragic injustice — it is the direct result of the Trump Administration’s dangerous, inhumane, and anti-American policies.”
State Sen. Liz Miranda also termed it “brutal and senseless murder and “part of a deeply disturbing pattern of state-sanctioned violence driven by the escalation of immigration enforcement across the United States.”
In a statement, Mayor Michelle Wu said that “our hearts are with Renee Good’s family and loved ones as they grieve this terrible loss. Once again, we can see with our own eyes the cruel and vicious agenda of the Trump administration. To protect our residents, we must end the mass deployment of ICE agents into American cities and restore rule of law and basic accountability from the federal government. Boston stands with the people of Minneapolis.”
US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in a statement, said: “One thing is clear: ICE is out of control. We have to listen to local leaders warning that ICE is putting communities in danger. ICE must leave Minneapolis now.”
Minnesota’s two major cities— Minneapolis and St. Paul—jointly sued the Trump administration on Monday in an attempt to combat a ramped-up deployment of ICE agents that followed Good’s shooting death and subsequent protests.
