Minnesota GOP Candidate Calls Minneapolis Shooting ‘Entirely Preventable’ Amid Political Tensions

A 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an operation involving approximately 2,000 federal agents, according to Minnesota GOP state Representative Peggy Bennett, who described the incident as “entirely preventable” on Thursday.

Bennett, a gubernatorial candidate, stated the shooting resulted from escalating tensions caused by political rhetoric and local policies. “This is all incredibly sad,” she said. “We don’t want anyone killed.”

Renee Good, 37, was allegedly killed after attempting to hit a federal agent with her vehicle during an ICE operation. The Department of Homeland Security has alleged that the incident occurred under such circumstances.

Bennett criticized language used to describe immigration officers, saying: “We can’t be calling names like ICE Gestapo, and this is a war, because these are the kinds of things that happen.” She also blamed Minneapolis’s status as a “sanctuary city” for creating volatile conditions, condemning Mayor Jacob Frey’s call for ICE to leave the city as “absolutely unacceptable.”

“The temperature is so high already,” Bennett added. “You can’t fan the flames like that and then expect nothing to happen.”

She attributed heightened conflict over immigration enforcement to Democratic policies, stating: “It’s their policies that have created this powder keg here.” Bennett urged local jurisdictions to cooperate with federal authorities by holding offenders for ICE pickup rather than conducting operations in neighborhoods.

Additionally, Bennett addressed fraud allegations in Minnesota programs following a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing. She criticized state leadership for inadequate response and noted: “Now that solid evidence is coming out… action ‘certainly isn’t happening here with our own attorney general in Minnesota and with our governor.'”

Bennett emphasized that current programs are “designed to allow fraud,” leaving “the bank vault wide open for criminals to come in and take our money.”