(The Center Square) – Seattle city leaders continue to condemn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minn., earlier this month, while some of Washington’s conservative leaders warn the rhetoric could contribute to further civil unrest.
Video footage from the Jan. 7 incident shows Good’s Honda Pilot SUV stopped sideways on a snowy street. As ICE officers, including Ross, approach the vehicle, one officer attempts to open the driver’s door and the SUV briefly reverses. The vehicle then moves forward as Ross steps aside and fires three shots, with differing views over whether Ross was intentionally struck by the vehicle. After the shots were fired, the SUV veered to the right and crashed into parked cars. Good was transported by paramedics to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson initially urged residents to sign up for the “Washington All ICE Mobilization Alerts,” as previously reported by The Center Square. The alert system is organized by the Washington Indivisible Network, a progressive organization formed in 2016 in opposition to Trump-era policies.
Since the Jan. 7 incident, Wilson has continued to emphasize that Seattle is a welcoming city for all residents, including immigrants and foreign nationals. She reiterated that message Saturday during a rally at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
“Whatever the status of your immigration paperwork, this is your city – you deserve to be safe, to live a dignified life, and to have a say in your government,” Wilson told the crowd.
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh said Wilson’s recent remarks were “reckless and irresponsible,” adding that he interpreted her comments as suggesting foreign nationals in Seattle should be able to vote.
“This is flagrantly illegal, and in my opinion, reckless,” Walsh told The Center Square in a phone call. “Some of her other rhetoric walks right up to the line of inciting violence – it probably doesn’t cross that line, but it comes very close.”
Other Seattle leaders have continued to escalate their criticism of ICE. During the Seattle City Council briefing on Monday, all eight council members in attendance referenced the protests and federal law enforcement actions since Jan. 7. Councilmember Maritza Rivera said the council was unified in condemning Good’s killing, which she described as “disgusting, unconscionable and cruel actions by ICE.”
“This is not the United States we deserve – to have bands of masked arm zealots snatching people off the streets is deeply wrong and shameful,” Rivera said. “I for one want to really determine what is legally possible for Seattle and the state to prevent these actions.”
Councilmember Dan Strauss called the actions from federal agents over the last week “completely un-American” while Councilmember Bob Kettle said if the federal government actually wants to help Seattle with its public safety issues, it should intercept the flow of guns and drugs primarily along Interstate 5 and Interstate 90.
The rhetoric, combined with the numerous protests, have coincided with increased threats and attacks against federal law enforcement. Following the Jan. 7 incident, the Department of Homeland Security released statistics reporting that assaults against ICE agents have increased more than 1,300% over the past year, while vehicular attacks against them have increased 3,200%, and death threats have increased 8,000%.
