‘Why are we arguing with a prez who…’: Hundreds of ICE agents head to Minneapolis amid uproar over Renee Good's killing

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday (local time) that hundreds of additional federal agents would be deployed to Minneapolis, dismissing demands from the city's Democratic leaders to withdraw following the fatal shooting of a female protester by an immigration officer, as reported by AFP.

In a series of television appearances, Noem stood by the officer responsible for the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, an event that has sparked fresh nationwide protests against President Donald Trump’s strict immigration policies.

She again claimed that Good’s actions in the Midwest city on Wednesday constituted “domestic terrorism” and said the agent fired in self-defense when he fatally shot her inside her vehicle.

Key Democratic figures like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have strongly challenged that account, arguing that widely shared video from the scene appears to show Good’s vehicle turning away from the agent and not posing a threat to his safety.

Noem, when pressed repeatedly by CNN about how she could make such definitive statements while an investigation into the incident had just begun, insisted she and the administration were in the right, AFP reported.

Here's what Noem said

"Why are we arguing with a president who's working to keep people safe?" she said.

Speaking separately to the conservative Fox News network, Noem said hundreds more officers will arrive Sunday and Monday, to allow immigration agents “that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.”

If protesters "conduct violent activities against law enforcement, if they impede our operations, that's a crime, and we will hold them accountable to those consequences," Noem told “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“Extremely politicised”

Meanwhile, confrontations between federal agents and protesters continued Sunday in Minneapolis, with officers seen using pepper spray against people holding signs outside an ICE facility in the city.

Noem accused Democrats of encouraging violence against immigration officers.

"These locals, if you look at what Governor Walz has said, if you look at what Mayor Frey has said, they've extremely politicized and inappropriately talked about the situation on the ground in their city," she told CNN's "State of the Union."

“They've inflamed the public. They've encouraged the kind of destruction and violence that we've seen in Minneapolis the last several days.”

Since Wednesday's shooting, thousands of people have demonstrated, largely peacefully, in several cities across the country including Minneapolis, where 29 people were detained and then released Friday, according to police, AFP reported.

The protesters have demanded a full investigation into the circumstances of the deadly encounter.

Democratic officials are particularly critical of the fact that local authorities have been excluded from the investigation, which is being conducted by the FBI.

“It should be a neutral, unbiased investigation where you get the facts,” Frey told CNN.

He also described as legitimate activists' actions to disrupt immigration enforcement operations, such as one in which Good was involved.

“You need to enforce laws, of course, but there's also a requirement that you carry out laws and carry out enforcement in a constitutional way,” Frey added.

"We've got pregnant women getting dragged through the street. We've got high schoolers just getting -- American citizens, by the way -- getting taken away."

On Sunday, federal agents were active in carrying out the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts and were observed detaining individuals in residential neighbourhoods. People were also seen placing flowers at informal memorials honouring Good.

The federal security operation in Minneapolis took place against the backdrop of a highly politicised fraud investigation in Minnesota.

(With inputs from AFP)