(Correct the typo in the first subhead)
By Heather Schlitz
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan 24 (Reuters) – When Fabiola, a single mother and naturalized US citizen from Latin America, first learned of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, she said she was heartbroken and scared.
She then joined the thousands of other Minnesotans who have volunteered to follow ICE agents since Good was killed — despite her fears for herself and her seven-year-old son Asher.
“I feel scared, but at the same time, I know I have to take care of my people too,” she said.
Activists say they have been overwhelmed by new volunteers – despite the potential for violence – since Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Federal agents on Saturday shot and killed a Minneapolis resident, the second person since the Trump administration added 3,000 immigration enforcement officers to the city.
Fabiola, who has lived in the United States for 20 years and owns a construction company, never knew Good. The mother of three was fatally shot when she stopped her car during an immigration enforcement action, just blocks from Fabiola’s home.
The DHS did not respond to requests for comment about the risks to bystanders in Minnesota, but officials said federal agents respond with gunfire when they fear for their lives. Kristi Noem, the DHS secretary, and other Trump administration officials described the protesters and observers as “anti-ICE” and “leftist” agitators.
WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME
Fabiola and Asher now whistle at them when they see immigration agents on their way to school. She taught Asher how to identify federal agents by their uniforms, and made him memorize his grandparents’ phone numbers in case she was detained.
Fabiola, who refused to share her last name for fear of reprisal, also started delivering food to people who are afraid to leave their homes. And she regularly stops by the makeshift Good Day memorial.
“She has children, and her children don’t have their mother now,” said Fabiola. “If something happened to me, where will my child go?”
Vice President JD Vance said during a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday that Good was trying to pick up Ross in her car. Analysis of bystander video by Reuters and other outlets show that Good’s wheels were spun by Ross, and that his feet were away from the vehicle when he shot it.
At least five organizations offer training on how to monitor ICE actions, warn immigrants of their presence and document the use of force against detainees and protesters. The online training for one of those groups was reaching a maximum capacity of 1,000 within hours, said Kate Wegener, an immigration attorney who runs the training.
“We were afraid that the attendance would be less after her death, but it was completely the opposite,” she said.
The sessions typically offer safety advice: keep at least eight feet from federal agents; follow orders given by officers and keep the distance when driving behind convoys of agents.
Some observers are hyperaware of the risks. Janet, a resident of a Minneapolis suburb who declined to share her last name for fear of doxxing, said she wrote letters to friends and family to be opened if she were killed.
Minnesota authorities at the state and local levels encouraged observers. Governor Tim Walz urged residents to get out their phones and document federal agents.
The spotters, often identified by their fluorescent green vests and whistles wrapped around their necks, are now an increasingly common sight along busy streets and residential neighborhoods when heavily armed and camouflaged federal agents wearing tactical gear are deployed.
Community pushback has had some effect. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino on Wednesday said the city presented a “difficult operating environment” for enforcement agents.
Organizers compared the level of engagement to the surge in activism following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
‘SOME WAKE UP’
On a recent day, two new volunteers, a married couple, rode their bikes near a busy intersection in search of ICE agents. The snow gathered on their jackets and the frost stuck to their hair.
“I woke up to what was happening when Renee Good was killed – I knew bad things were happening, but I didn’t realize how bad it was,” said Aaron, who is 41 years old and works in marketing. He declined to share his last name for fear of retribution. “And then when this happened, it was like, it’s time to start doing something.”
Earlier that day, he said he had adjusted his six-mile run to cover neighborhoods where residents had reported ICE sightings near schools.
Pushing back against immigration enforcement carries risk. The immigration observers were tear gassed and arrested. State authorities said Friday they were collecting data on the arrests but it was not immediately available.
‘THE WORKS’
For Patty O’Keefe, a 36-year-old nonprofit worker, those risks underscore the importance of observers.
“They wouldn’t be working so hard to intimidate us and utilize all those resources if we weren’t actually having success in slowing down their operations or slowing them down,” O’Keefe said.
Earlier this month, as she was being followed by ICE agents in her car, she said five federal agents smashed her car window, handcuffed her, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She said ICE agents photographed her, insulted her and held her for eight hours in a Minneapolis detention center before she was released without charge.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment on O’Keefe’s account of the incident, and Reuters could not independently determine what happened.
She said she is now struggling with anxiety – but will continue to volunteer.
“I’m just stubborn, and I don’t want to give in to fear.”
Many residents speak of the Good with a sense of reverence, describing it as an inspiration.
On the street where she was killed, dozens of people braved the dangerously cold weather to add to the piles of bouquets, stuffed animals and electric candles lit through the snow at a makeshift memorial.
“She gave her life for us,” said Fabiola. “Her soul is in heaven, and she protects us.”
(Reporting by Heather Schlitz in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Contributing reporting by Emily Schmall in Chicago. Editing by Emily Schmall and Suzanne Goldenberg.)