The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on 7 January triggered protests nationwide and intensified scrutiny of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency leading President Donald Trump’s renewed mass deportation drive.
ICE has carried out thousands of arrests since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, frequently operating in public spaces. These actions have increasingly brought agents into confrontation with protesters and bystanders. A second fatal shooting, involving Border Patrol officers and resulting in the death of 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti on 24 January, further escalated public concern.
What is ICE and when was it formed?
ICE is the primary federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws within the United States. Under Trump’s second term, its budget, staffing and operational scope have been significantly expanded as part of a mass deportation initiative that was central to his election campaign.
The agency was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. The legislation established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with ICE as one of its key enforcement bodies. ICE’s mandate includes identifying undocumented immigrants, conducting investigations and carrying out deportations.
What powers do ICE agents have to arrest people?
ICE describes its mission as protecting public safety and national security, but its authority differs from that of local police departments.
Agents may stop, question, detain and arrest individuals they suspect of being in the country unlawfully. However, entry into private homes or non-public spaces generally requires a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
ICE agents can detain US citizens in limited circumstances, including when a person interferes with an arrest, assaults an officer or is reasonably suspected of being unlawfully present in the US.
Despite these limits, ProPublica has documented more than 170 cases during the first nine months of Trump’s presidency in which US citizens were detained by federal immigration agents, often after being mistakenly identified as undocumented.
What powers does ICE have to use force?
ICE agents’ use of force is governed by the US Constitution, federal law and internal DHS policies.
Under constitutional standards, law enforcement officers may use deadly force only if a person poses an imminent threat of serious harm to officers or others, or has committed a violent crime, said Chris Slobogin, director of the criminal justice program at Vanderbilt University Law School. Courts have historically granted officers broad discretion when assessing split-second decisions.
A 2023 DHS policy memo states that federal officers may use deadly force only when necessary and when they reasonably believe an individual poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.
In the case of Renee Nicole Good, ICE says the agent who shot her acted in self-defence. Local officials dispute that claim, saying Good posed no danger while sitting in her car. Her death prompted Minnesota officials to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to block federal immigration deployments in the state.
Where does ICE operate?
ICE primarily operates within the United States, though it maintains some staff abroad. In recent months, ICE and partner agencies have surged personnel into major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.
As of mid-January, about 2,000 ICE and other federal agents were deployed in Minneapolis, along with roughly 800 US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, including Border Patrol agents, according to officials speaking to CBS News. Some agents have since departed.
In late January, Ecuador said an ICE agent attempted to enter its Minneapolis consulate but was refused access. Under international law, consular premises are inviolable. Ecuador later filed a formal diplomatic complaint.
Why are ICE agents being deployed abroad?
ICE agents are expected to assist US security efforts at major international events, including the Winter Olympics in Italy beginning on 6 February and the Super Bowl in California on 8 February.
Italian officials reacted angrily to reports of ICE involvement, though US authorities stressed that Homeland Security Investigations — a branch of ICE — would play a strictly supportive role, working with local authorities to identify transnational security threats rather than conduct immigration enforcement.
What is Border Patrol?
Border Patrol is a uniformed division of US Customs and Border Protection, a separate agency within DHS. Traditionally focused on border areas and ports of entry, Border Patrol agents are now also operating in US cities under Trump, often assisting ICE.
Border Patrol agents were involved in the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Federal officials initially claimed Pretti was brandishing a firearm, a claim disputed by local authorities and contradicted by video analysis showing no weapon in his hands at the time he was shot.
Following public backlash, the administration softened its tone and announced investigations. The agents involved were placed on administrative leave, and senior Border Patrol leadership in Minneapolis was reassigned.
What happens to people detained by ICE?
ICE detentions can result in release after questioning, transfer to detention facilities or eventual deportation if legal challenges fail.
The administration says it deported more than 600,000 people between January and December 2025 and claims nearly 2 million others voluntarily left the country following an aggressive self-deportation campaign.
As of late November 2025, about 65,000 people were being held in ICE detention facilities, according to data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Immigration lawyers say families often struggle for days to locate detained relatives.
What opposition have ICE agents faced?
ICE operations have increasingly been met with public resistance. Community members frequently film arrests, and some encounters have turned violent.
In Chicago, media organisations sued Border Patrol over alleged mistreatment of journalists and protesters. While a judge initially ruled in their favour, an appeals court later overturned that decision.
Beyond Good and Pretti, other people have been injured during immigration operations, including a Venezuelan man shot in the leg in Minneapolis and multiple shootings involving vehicles in Los Angeles. DHS has said officers acted in self-defence in those cases.
ICE has also drawn criticism for agents wearing masks during operations. DHS says the practice protects officers from harassment and doxxing.
Where do Americans stand on ICE?
Public opinion on immigration enforcement remains divided. Polling from the Pew Research Center suggests just over half of Americans support some level of deportation, but a majority believe the Trump administration has gone too far.
A CBS News poll conducted in mid-January found 61% of respondents said ICE was being too aggressive in stopping and detaining people, while 58% disapproved of Trump’s overall handling of immigration.