In a nation still grappling with the trauma of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has once again shocked the American conscience and reverberated around the globe. Both incidents — captured on live video and widely circulated on social media and in the news — have reminded the world that systemic issues with law enforcement and the use of force remain urgently unresolved.
Let us also not forget the killing of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty ICE agent in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. Porter had been firing his rifle into the air to celebrate the holiday. An investigation is ongoing.
Floyd and Porter were Black men, and Good was a white woman. Each was a parent of young children.
Joy Reid recently said in an interview about the Good murder, “What’s partly so frightening about this is that white people aren’t safe either. These people are willing to shoot white women in the face in front of everyone on camera. They don’t give a damn if you’re a white woman. They don’t care if you’re a mom. They don’t care if you’re affluent.”
Floyd’s 2020 murder became a rallying cry for calls worldwide to reform policing and address racial injustice. Now, less than a mile from that site, the fatal shooting of Good — a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, wife, mother, and community member — has reignited those same anxieties.
Bystander footage appears to show her vehicle moving away from federal agents during a massive enforcement operation when an ICE officer fired the shots that killed her. Municipal leaders, family members, and the public are demanding transparency as conflicting official narratives collide with what millions have seen with their own eyes.
These three tragedies, separated by time but connected by place and circumstance, have shaken public confidence in law enforcement’s ability to protect all citizens — regardless of race, immigration status, or political viewpoint. They underscore an uncomfortable truth: when citizens are killed in confrontations with agents of the state and communities feel ignored or misled, trust erodes.
We must be better than this. A democratic society cannot function when its people live in fear of those sworn to uphold the law.
While humane immigration enforcement, and laws in general, should not be dismissed, they should be applied lawfully, orderly, and dignified. Further, equating humane policy with the unrestrained undermines America’s ideals.
Today’s pain should remind us that strength lies not in quotas or militarized tactics, but in accountability, restraint, and respect for human life.
If America is to remain a democracy worthy of its name, leaders and citizens alike must recommit to justice for Floyd, Porter, Good and all who seek safety within our borders.