Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have fatally shot at least 25 people since 2015, yet no criminal indictments have ever been filed against them. This pattern of impunity stems from a systemic failure to hold agents accountable, with investigations consistently favoring law enforcement perspectives over civilian evidence. The recent shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis underscores this problem, as initial narratives from the White House and Department of Homeland Security directly contradict video evidence.
Systemic Lack of Accountability
A four-year investigation into ICE shootings (2015–2021) reveals alarming trends: 19 incidents involved moving vehicles, resulting in at least 10 deaths and six injuries. ICE agents have shot at US citizens in public areas 22 times, with seven cases involving individuals who were not the intended targets of enforcement. Despite this, self-defense claims are routinely accepted, with ICE spokesperson Mike Alvarez stating that deadly force is justified when “objectively reasonable and necessary.”
Former federal law enforcement agent Mike German explains that prosecutors and judges defer to agents’ subjective beliefs about life-threatening situations, making criminal charges rare. In some cases, ICE has even documented a suspect’s body as a “weapon,” while evidence suggests at least a dozen victims were unarmed.
Legal Protection for Agents
Federal agent-involved shootings are rarely prosecuted, and findings are rarely public. Agents are further shielded by qualified immunity, which protects them from civil lawsuits for constitutional violations. Supreme Court cases Mesa v. Hernandez (2020) and Egbert v. Boule (2022) have solidified this protection, making it nearly impossible for citizens to sue agents for harm.
State and federal agencies can investigate shootings separately but often defer to one another, leading to stalled investigations. In Minneapolis, the FBI took sole control of the Good shooting investigation, excluding the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) after one day.
Jurisdictional Confusion and Delayed Investigations
Past cases show similar patterns: in Dumfries, Virginia (2018), an ICE agent shot an unarmed man fleeing arrest, but the commonwealth’s attorney’s office stopped its investigation, citing lack of jurisdiction over federal agents. In Nashville, Tennessee (2019), video footage contradicted ICE claims about a shooting, but the FBI investigation was slow-walked and never made public.
State and local law enforcement agencies have consistently cleared agents of wrongdoing, even when hindering investigations. In Scottsdale, Arizona (2018), an agent shot a man multiple times after he was already on the ground, but was still cleared despite violating protocol. In Chula Vista, California (2016), an ICE agent advised a colleague who killed a 22-year-old to not cooperate with the investigation.
Internal Failures and Lack of Transparency
ICE’s internal investigations lack oversight, with disciplinary recommendations often ignored by supervisors. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in 2023 that ICE’s use-of-force data lacked follow-up: incidents were documented but not reviewed for policy compliance.
The agency operated under an outdated use-of-force policy from 2004 until 2023, when it created a new policy that remains largely unreleased to the public. ICE refuses to disclose the number of shooting deaths or provide unredacted policies.
Political Interference
Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem falsely labeled Good as a “domestic terrorist” to justify the shooting, while former President Trump reportedly instructed officials to protect ICE agents accused of crimes. Vice President JD Vance has claimed agents have “absolute immunity,” a legally baseless assertion.
Ultimately, the system is designed to protect ICE agents, not to hold them accountable for their actions. The combination of legal protections, bureaucratic delays, and political interference ensures that these killings will continue with impunity.
