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source_url: https://thehill.com/immigration/5678743-minneapolis-shooting-ice-tom-homan/
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Homan: Fatal Minneapolis ICE shooting ‘tragic’ result of ‘hateful rhetoric’
Border czar Tom Homan blamed Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old U.S. citizen in Minneapolis on the “hateful rhetoric” used against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and Border Patrol agents.
“The incident in Minneapolis today is yet another tragic example of the results of the hateful rhetoric and violent attacks against the men and women of ICE and BP,” Homan wrote [in a post on the social platform X](https://x.com/RealTomHoman/status/2009051188189384761) on Wednesday evening.
“These brave men and women are forced to conduct law enforcement operations in heightened threat environments every day,” he continued. “Like all Americans, our officers have a right to self defense.”
Homan, in [a CBS News interview](https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5678402-protests-ice-shooting-trump-response/) earlier Wednesday, initially refrained from commenting on videos of the incident, saying, “I’m not going to make a judgment call on one video when there’s 100 videos out there.”
“I wasn’t on the scene. I’m not an officer that may have body cam video,” he continued. “It would be unprofessional to comment on what I think happened in that situation. Let the investigation play out and hold people accountable based on the investigation.”
He declined to answer questions on why the Department of Homeland Security quickly called the incident an act of “domestic terrorism” without first investigating the matter, saying, “That’s a question for Homeland Security. I’m the border czar.”
Later in the day, Homan [clarified his remarks](https://x.com/RealTomHoman/status/2009116571579633687?s=20) in the interview, which he said “was taped earlier today before I had the opportunity to see all the footage and learn the details of the incident. “
“I do not comment before I have the facts. As I repeatedly have said, the brave men and women of ICE are heroes. Like all Americans, our officers have a right to self defense. Full stop,” he added.
Republicans and Democrats have been sharply divided in their responses to an ICE officer fatally shooting 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good as she appeared to be driving away from officers’ efforts to remove her from her car.
Video shared online shows masked officers approaching a car sitting in the middle of the street. After the vehicle started to move forward and accelerate, an officer is seen firing at the driver, and the car subsequently veers to the side and crashes into other cars parked on the street.
The Trump administration came out in [fierce defense](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5678537-trump-minneapolis-ice-shooting/) of the ICE officer, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem maintaining that the officer acted in self-defense and that Macklin Good sought to use her vehicle as a weapon in an act of “domestic terrorism.”
President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he watched the video of the incident and that Macklin Good was “very disorderly, obstructing and resisting,” while saying the officer “seems to have shot her in self defense.” He said the situation is being reviewed “in its entirety” and backed federal agents.
State and local officials have disputed claims from federal authorities and pledged investigations into the incident.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) responded to Homeland Security’s account of the incident, [saying on X](https://x.com/GovTimWalz/status/2008980259199394021), “I’ve seen the video. Don’t believe this propaganda machine.”
“The state will ensure there is a full, fair, and expeditious investigation to ensure accountability and justice,” Walz said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) also rejected [Homeland Security’s description](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5677221-minneapolis-mayor-demands-ice-leave/) of the incident as self-defense, saying at a press conference: “Having seen the video of myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bulls‑‑‑.”
“This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed,” he said.
Other Democrats [have called the incident](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5678598-democrats-ice-prosecution-minneapolis-shooting/) “murder” and called for the ICE officer’s prosecution.
[Donald Trump](
https://thehill.com/people/donald-trump/ )
[ice agent](
https://thehill.com/tag/ice-agent/ )
[Jacob Frey](
https://thehill.com/people/jacob-frey/ )
[Kristi Noem](
https://thehill.com/people/kristi-noem/ )
[Minneapolis](
https://thehill.com/tag/minneapolis/ )
[minneapolis shooting](
https://thehill.com/tag/minneapolis-shooting/ )
[Thomas Homan](
https://thehill.com/people/thomas-homan/ )
[Tim Walz](
https://thehill.com/people/tim-walz/ )
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