Noem Says Hundreds of Agents Are Being Sent to Minneapolis

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that hundreds of additional federal officers are being deployed to Minneapolis to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol personnel already operating in the city. Speaking on Fox News, Noem said the agents would arrive Sunday and Monday, according to the Washington Post. While the deployment comes amid protests following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer, Noem said the operation is tied to investigations into alleged fraud involving government programs in Minnesota, the New York Times reported.

Residents of the Twin Cities were preparing Sunday for what the Department of Homeland Security has described as its largest enforcement operation to date, the Associated Press reported. In the neighborhood where Good was killed Wednesday, volunteers stood on street corners in freezing temperatures, using whistles to alert others to the presence of federal agents. Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for the local human rights group Unidos MN, said more than 20,000 people across Minnesota have completed training since the 2024 election to serve as civilian observers of enforcement activity. “It’s a role that people take on voluntarily because they want to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

Federal and local officials continued to dispute the circumstances surrounding Good’s death. Noem and other officials in President Trump’s administration have said the ICE officer acted in self-defense, arguing that Good used her SUV as a weapon and describing her actions as “domestic terrorism” shortly after the shooting. Video circulating online appears to show the officer stepping out of the vehicle’s path and firing shots from the side as it passed.

Noem told CNN that her statements have been supported by evidence and said additional video, not yet released publicly, shows the officer being struck by Good’s vehicle. The FBI has assumed control of the investigation and has excluded Minnesota law enforcement agencies, a move that prompted Minneapolis officials to open a separate inquiry. Mayor Jacob Frey said the decision has created “deep mistrust” and criticized what he described as a rush by federal officials to establish a narrative before all facts are known. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, told ABC News that early statements from the administration risk undermining confidence in an “objective, unbiased” investigation.

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