On Sunday, January 11, 2026, the streets of Washington, D.C. became a stage for a massive outpouring of grief and anger as more than a thousand protesters marched toward the headquarters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under a cold, biting wind, the crowd moved from Constitution Avenue to the agency’s offices on 12th Street SW. This was not an isolated event; it was a central piece of a nationwide “Weekend of Action” that saw millions of people across the country take to the streets. The catalyst for this sudden, intense movement was the death of Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet whose fatal encounter with a federal agent has become a national flashpoint for the debate over immigration enforcement and the use of force.
The tragedy occurred just days earlier, on January 7, in a quiet residential neighborhood in South Minneapolis. Renée Good, a U.S. citizen, was in her car when she was shot and killed by an ICE officer. In the immediate aftermath, the narrative of what happened that afternoon diverged sharply depending on who was telling the story. The Department of Homeland Security and the White House quickly defended the officer, claiming that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle and that the agent was forced to fire in self-defense. However, this version of events was almost immediately challenged by local officials and members of the public. Bystander video emerged appearing to show that Good’s car was actually turning away from the officer when the shots were fired.
This contradiction turned a local tragedy into a national crisis. In Minnesota, the political fallout was swift, with Governor Tim Walz and other high-ranking officials calling the shooting unjustified and demanding that federal agents withdraw from the state. The federal government responded not by retreating, but by doubling down, deploying even more agents to the area. This escalation transformed the “ICE Out For Good” rallies into a massive movement, with the D.C. protest serving as a primary focal point. Organizers from groups like 50501 DC and FLARE joined forces with national organizations to ensure that the message was heard directly at the doors of the agency responsible for the shooting.
As the protesters arrived at the ICE headquarters, the atmosphere was heavy but disciplined. People carried signs and chanted for accountability, their voices echoing off the glass and stone of the federal buildings. Despite the presence of police and the high emotions of the crowd, the demonstration remained peaceful. Speakers at the rally emphasized that this was about more than just one incident; they argued it was about a system that had become too aggressive and lacked transparency. They spoke of Renée Good not just as a victim, but as a mother of three and a creative spirit whose life was cut short under questionable circumstances.
The sheer scale of the weekend’s protests—spanning from New York to Los Angeles—suggests that the death of Renée Good has tapped into a deep-seated public exhaustion with current enforcement tactics. For many of those marching in D.C., the goal was simple: they wanted an independent investigation and a fundamental change in how federal agents interact with the public. As the sun set on the capital, the crowd eventually dispersed, but the message left behind was clear. The death of a poet in Minneapolis had started a conversation about justice and safety that the country is no longer willing to ignore, leaving the government to face a growing demand for answers that can no longer be avoided.
