Renee Good’s death sparks Boston protests against ICE and Trump
Executive Director of Mass 50501 Rebecca Winter: “Our immigrant neighbors matter”
Vivian Hir–The Tech
Vivian Hir–The Tech
On Saturday, Jan. 10, hundreds of people assembled in Boston Common at noon near the State House to protest against Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) operations and demand justice for the death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, ICE officers were monitoring Good’s neighborhood when her car stopped diagonally across the street, prompting the federal agents to approach her car and request that she exit the vehicle. When Good instead backed up her car and began to drive away, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fired multiple shots at Good, killing her.
The video sparked nationwide outrage about ICE’s use of violence and the Trump administration’s defense of the shooting, leading to protests and vigils in many cities across the U.S. In a press conference, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the shooting was done in self-defense and called Good a “domestic terrorist.” Trump also echoed Noem’s statement, claiming that Good tried to run an agent over — an accusation that contradicted multiple videos of the incident. Meanwhile, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey argued that ICE’s portrayal of the event was a “garbage narrative” and demanded ICE leave the city and state.
Ever since the start of Trump’s second term, the federal government has significantly expanded ICE’s efforts to curtail immigration. According to a December 2025 DHS press release, more than 605,000 people have been deported since the beginning of 2025 while 1.9 million undocumented immigrants have self-deported, totaling over 2.5 million people who left the U.S. that year. ICE has faced widespread criticism for their forcefulness in their detainment and deportation practices, which include separating families and targeting work sites and courthouses.
Protest outside the State House
The Boston demonstration was cosponsored by many local organizations, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). After speeches from organizers, protesters marched from the State House to the John F. Kennedy Federal Building to join another protest organized by LUCE, an immigration justice network based in Massachusetts.
Protestors held signs condemning ICE and the Trump administration. Among them was Jo Almond, a college student from Arlington, who came to the event because she wanted to let the administration know that their actions, such as the attack on Venezuela and their ICE raids, were “unacceptable.”
“Other modes of trying to make change are not working [at] this moment because the government has been so co-opted by Trump loyalists and by people who are not willing to stop him,” Almond said. “So I think what’s left is the people and the power of the people.”
Dan Button PhD ’83 of Groton held a poster that read “fight for democracy, voice your outrage.” Button criticized the administration’s justification for Good’s death, as he considered her an “innocent citizen” who never posed a threat. “We can’t just be silent about that,” Button said. “Even if [Trump] may not pay attention, our representatives certainly will be paying attention to this.”
At the event, speakers stressed the importance of taking collective action to stop the Trump administration and ICE. Joe Tache, a PSL organizer and Massachusetts candidate for the U.S. Senate, described the “exploitation and oppression” of the Trump administration as an “invasive plant” that requires “pulling it out from its roots.” He underscored the need to organize a national movement to “transform society” under the Trump administration. “It’s not just enough to give lip service to the issues,” Tache said. He called for people to walk out on Jan. 20, the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration.
Rebecca Winter, the Executive Director for Massachusetts 50501 and a LUCE volunteer, expressed anger about the “lawless” killing of Good. “We are out there lawfully standing up and documenting ICE atrocities while we still have the constitutional rights to do so,” Winter said. She urged demonstrators to join groups such as LUCE and 50501 to protect their communities. “Renee showed up. Keith [Porter] mattered. Our immigrant neighbors matter,” Winter said. Keith Porter had been fatally shot by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve.
Besides condemning ICE’s actions, speakers also criticized the U.S.’s Jan. 3 attack on Venezuela. Evan MacKay, speaker for the United Auto Workers and Cambridge-area candidate for State House, stated that the U.S.’s underlying intention is the “exploit[ation]” of the Venezuelan people through oil companies and other financial interests. “We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Venezuela as they defend themselves against U.S. imperialism and demand that our tax dollars be used to meet social needs, not to bankroll imperialist war,” MacKay said.
After the speeches ended around 1:40 p.m., protesters began marching from the State House to the JFK Federal Building via Bowdoin St while chanting phrases affirming their support for immigrants and criticizing Trump’s mass deportation agenda. “Trump, Trump, what do you say? How many kids are detained today?” protesters chanted. Members of the Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians played tunes while some demonstrators blew their whistles loudly. Around 2 p.m., the group arrived at the JFK Federal Building, joining a second protest organized by LUCE with hundreds of protesters.
A second protest outside JFK Federal Plaza
At the start of the second protest, Reverend Nathan Ives from the St. Peter-San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem gave an opening prayer in a moment of silence. In the prayer, Ives mourned the loss of Good and the 32 detainees who died in ICE custody in 2025, calling their passing a “loss of innocence from hatred and totalitarianism.” Ives prayed for God’s guidance and inspiration during these difficult times in the hope that everyone, including the “most vulnerable,” will be “respected and protected.” Afterwards, Pietra Adami from the Brazilian Women’s Group read aloud the names of every victim who died in ICE detention centers or were killed by ICE.
In their speeches, organizers talked about the harmful impact of ICE on their communities, from declines in public school enrollment to children losing their parents. The speakers also implored demonstrators to stand up and protect immigrant neighbors in their community. Dálida Rocha, the Executive Director of Neighbor to Neighbor, emphasized her belief in protecting one another regardless of background or immigration status. Rocha urged the audience not to let fear stop them and instead to be courageous for their neighbors and communities. “We will keep showing up [on] our neighbor’s doors, the streets, the schools, the houses of worship, wherever our neighbors may feel threatened,” Rocha said. “We will show up until more people choose humanity over hate.”
The protest ended with a speech from Heitor Soares, a 19-year-old from Malden whose father was deported back to Brazil last year. When his father was detained in June, Soares asked his community for support and raised over $30,000 on GoFundMe for his father’s legal defense. He expressed gratitude to his community, noting that the outpouring of support would never have materialized if he had never asked. Soares called for the audience to stand up against ICE. “You can’t just turn [a] blind eye anymore,” Soares said. “Choosing to not be educated is the same as choosing to turn your back on the community.”