The Killing of Renee Good

Renee was killed by federal systems of oppression, not just a single ICE officer.

Washington, DC – On January 8, 2025, the press began reporting the death of Renée Good as a consequence of close-proximity interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In response, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) made the following announcement.

Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, UUSJ, stated:

“We join the many people of goodwill and conscience across the United States mourning the death of Renée Nicole Macklin Good at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis. We send prayers for fortitude to the many good-faith actors on the ground who provide support and mutual aid, cultivate hope, and build resilience.

We hold in love the people of Minnesota and Minneapolis as they face what they name as a federal invasion and occupation, complete with mounting institutional hostility and state violence. Renée was killed by the many hands of federal systems of oppression, not only by the hands of an ICE officer.

We will never condone or ignore political violence.

We add our Unitarian Universalist voices to the chorus, naming this as state violence, a killing by federal agents, and systemic moral failure. This is a further tragedy for a community already suffering. Already grappling with harmful federal policies that criminalize immigration, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and their allies. These are federal tactics that favor terror and force. Local leaders, allies, and advocates report seeing and suffering—bearing witness to—a transparent display of America’s capacity for fascist inclined policies and behavior.

We believe Americans have the right to observe, monitor, record, fact-check, and object to government activity under the First Amendment as a form of constitutionally protected free speech and assembly. That Renée’s killing likely meets the criteria of retaliation against political opposition. ICE must not be allowed to ignore due process and sow fear and instability, and act like secret police. A domestic militarized force with one of the largest budgets globally, among the top 20 most well-funded ‘militaries’ in the world.

Unfortunately, the killing of Renée is the most recent proof of the case: In the U.S., we’ve gone from triumphalism to entitlement, from unitarian theory to autocracy, and we’ve landed in a circumstance that is testing the boundaries of our laws, seemingly authoritarian, careening further away from our governing customs and norms.

Neither the federal government nor its agencies is above the law. That is one stipulation when we consent to be governed.

We call on all people of faith and conscience to reject state violence and demand accountability. We recommit to transformative systems that ensure safety and freedom for all.”

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Established in 1999, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice is a network of Unitarian Universalist individuals and congregations that lifts up the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope to advance equitable national policies and actions aligned with UU values through witness, education, and advocacy. We envision a just, compassionate, and sustainable world community. Follow us on social media.

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