Brothers of Renee Good call the violence in Minneapolis ‘beyond explanation’

The brothers of Renee Good, the Minneapolis woman who was shot to death by an ICE officer last month, called the use of force and violence by federal immigration officers in the city “completely surreal” as they spoke at a public forum on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Brent and Luke Ganger, Good’s brothers, were joined by Antonio Romanucci, the attorney who is representing Good’s family in a civil investigation of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer and federal agencies involved in Good’s death.

“The deep distress our family feels because of Nee’s loss is in such a violent and unnecessary way, is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change,” Luke said. “In the last few weeks, our family took some consolation thinking that perhaps Nee’s death would bring about change in our country. And it has not.”

Luke Ganger called the scenes from the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis “completely surreal” and “beyond explanation,” adding that encounters with federal officers are changing the community.

Brent Ganger grew emotional as he read from the eulogy he delivered about his sister at her funeral: “When I think of Renee, I think of dandelions and sunlight. Dandelions don’t ask permission to grow. They push through cracks in the sidewalk, through hard soil, through places where you don’t expect beauty. And suddenly, there they are — bright, alive.”

Romanucci, who represented George Floyd’s family after Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police in 2020, slammed federal officials’ “character assassinations and conclusions before an investigation has been started, let alone completed,” referring to remarks made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance shortly after Good was killed.

“My colleagues and I are deeply distressed at these invasions onto fellow Americans’ civil rights by our own government that have gone well beyond the initial scope of removing criminals,” Romanucci said.

Tuesday afternoon’s forum was hosted by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who billed it as part of their “ongoing inquiry into the lawless and abusive tactics used by federal immigration agents.”

Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman who was shot several times by a Customs and Border Protection officer last fall, also spoke at the forum. Martinez was accused of assaulting the CBP officer who shot her during a protest over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. A federal judge later dismissed the Justice Department’s charges against Martinez.

The slate of witnesses also included Aliya Rahman, a Minneapolis resident who was dragged from her car by immigration officers after she was told to move the vehicle during an enforcement operation. Rahman, who said she has autism and is in recovery for a traumatic brain injury, was on her way to the doctor when she was detained, she said following the incident.

Martin Rascon, a California man who said CBP officers shot at his car during a traffic stop, and Seth Stoughton, an expert in policing and public safety, also spoke.

The panel was reflective of a broader push by congressional Democrats to ramp up oversight of the Department of Homeland Security after agents under its control fatally shot Good and another American citizen in Minneapolis in recent weeks.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was killed in a shooting by two federal officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, igniting a nationwide reckoning over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement agenda.