The family of Renee Good, one of two U.S. citizens fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, has filed a lawsuit against the government regarding her death during a deportation operation in January. The lawsuits, filed on Thursday by Good's partner Becca Good and her brother Brent Ganger, allege that officials from President Donald Trump's administration acted recklessly and violated civil rights. They are seeking a jury trial and financial damages.
These lawsuits represent the first significant civil actions against the Trump administration concerning its deportation efforts in Minneapolis, referred to as Operation Metro Surge. The first lawsuit seeks damages for wrongful death under Minnesota law, citing claims of assault, battery, false imprisonment, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The second lawsuit claims a civil rights conspiracy involving multiple defendants, including the immigration officer who shot Good, Jonathon Ross, as well as high-ranking Trump administration officials such as White House Deputy Policy Chief Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, and campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Renee Good was shot in her car by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis while she and her wife participated in a demonstration against federal agents targeting migrants for deportation. Eyewitness cellphone footage recorded the incident, showing Ross firing into the windshield and hitting Good in the head, arm, and torso.
Federal officials stated that the officer acted in self-defense, claiming Good had engaged in "an act of domestic terrorism." In a statement on Truth Social, Trump defended the shooting, attributing the incidents to threats against law enforcement by the "Radical Left."
Following the shooting, the U.S. Department of Justice, including then-Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche, prevented federal prosecutors from pursuing a criminal civil rights case against the involved agents, leading to resignations among several prosecutors in protest. Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in March to access evidence from the shooting, but investigations have been hindered by the Justice Department's cessation of cooperation with the Minneapolis Police Department. No charges have been filed against the agents involved in Good's death.