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The Lead with Jake Tapper
U.S. Citizen Shot, Killed by ICE Officer in Minneapolis; GOP Senator Blasts Stephen Miller's Stupid Remarks; Homeland Security Secretary Speaking About Minneapolis Shooting. U.S. Citizen Shot, Killed By ICE Officer In Minneapolis. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 07, 2026 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: The Lead tonight, a nation on edge after an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman. You're looking at live pictures from Minneapolis, a crowd growing at the scene by the hour.
Moments ago here on The Lead, Democratic Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota told me that the woman killed has been identified as Renee Nicole Good. To confirm, she's a U.S. citizen. Any moment, we're expecting the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to hold a news conference. She had, earlier in the day, asserted that the victim engaged in domestic terrorism. She also had a description of what happened that does not square with the video that we've all seen by now.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey adds that Noem's claim that the officer acted in self-defense is, quote, bullshit. We must warn viewers that the video that we're going to bring you of the scene is disturbing.
You can see the ICE officers there trying to open the victim's door. I don't know if we're going to bring the video back. Let's bring the video back. They're trying to open the door. Then another ICE officer shoots once through -- there we go, there's the shot through the front windshield and through the driver's side window killing her.
Let's go right now to Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez. He represents Ward 9. That's where the shooting happened. Council Member Chavez, what's your reaction to the shooting? How did you first hear about it?
JASON CHAVEZ, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL: Yes. So, there was a variety of reports in our community and neighborhood chats discussing a big immigration enforcement in one of our neighborhoods. So, many of us immediately responded to the scene.
But before I continue, I just want to say that my condolences and thoughts are with Renee Good and her family and her loved ones. ICE officials murdering one of our neighbors is unacceptable. And we must arrest this ICE official and hold them accountable. And we're calling on ICE, so I'm calling on ICE to immediately fire this officer and those involved in the murder of Renee. But there is a lot of tension in our neighborhood, not only because of immigration enforcement, but the escalation of violence at the hands of ICE.
TAPPER: So, the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that Renee Goode, the 37-year-old woman, the white woman U.S. citizen killed today by this ICE officer, Minneapolis Star Tribune says that her husband had previously passed away. They had a child who's a four or five-year-old boy. Is there anything more that you know about this woman? Did she live in your ward? Her mom only said that she lived with a partner in the Twin Cities, but wouldn't say where.
CHAVEZ: I don't have that information.
TAPPER: Okay.
CHAVEZ: But what I do know is that what ICE did was not okay.
TAPPER: DHS is claiming that this was in self-defense, that the ICE officer shot the woman was fearing for his life and the safety of the public as she was driving. Is there a version of the video -- there are several videos out there. Is there a version of the video that you've seen that confirms with that?
CHAVEZ: No. The federal government is making up fantasies. They're lying about what happened in this instance on 34th in Portland. The American people, folks in Minneapolis and here in the state of Minnesota clearly can see the video for what it is. The ICE agent did not have to murder somebody today. They could have just moved out the way.
TAPPER: In his response to the shooting, President Trump posted on Truth Social, quote, the reason these incidents are happening is because the radical left is threatening, assaulting and targeting our law enforcement officers and ICE agents on a daily basis, unquote. What's your reaction to the president's words?
CHAVEZ: The president does not know what Minneapolis is about. We don't believe that in the existence of ICE. We know that we care and love our immigrant neighbors here in Minneapolis and in the state of Minnesota and that we are going to do everything that we can not only as elected officials, but as community members to respond when ICE is in our neighborhoods.
And we're going to continue to show up on these scenes to make sure that our neighbors know their rights because what the Trump administration is doing is violating due process, violating the rights of our neighbors, kidnapping people because of the color of their skin, asking for people's immigration status that are literally simply walking while being brown, picking up neighbors while they're waiting for their bus stop, stopping cars as they're going to work, separating families for the sake of separating families.
And here in Minneapolis, we're going to continue to stand up for our neighbors that are -- our immigrant neighbors that have worked so hard to build the city to the way it is right now. TAPPER: A Republican who was just here talking about this issue said something along the lines of, I'm paraphrasing, that the reason ICE is there is because Minneapolis is a sanctuary city and they don't enforce immigration law. Therefore, people who are blaming Trump for sending ICE agents into the city, they could also blame Democratic leaders of Minneapolis or Minnesota for not enforcing immigration laws.
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What would be your reaction to that?
CHAVEZ: Minneapolis is not required to enforce immigration law. We will not be doing the federal government's dirty work for them. When they do that work, they're going to be doing that work on their own. We are not in the business of tearing families apart. We're not in the business of separating families and scaring families into going into work. That is not the job of the city of Minneapolis. The job of the city of Minneapolis is to protect our immigrant neighbors, to protect the diversity of this beautiful city, to make sure that our businesses are thriving, and to make sure that our neighbors, particularly those who for too long have been left on the brinks of the margins, have the support they need to succeed.
TAPPER: Minneapolis City Council Member --
CHAVEZ: And that's what the Trump administration will never understand. Thank you.
TAPPER: Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, thank you so much for joining us today.
Let's go to the scene in Minneapolis where we have CNN's Whitney Wild. Whitney, describe what's going on in the city there now hours after this deadly shooting. And just to remind our viewers, this site is four blocks away from where George Floyd was killed five and a half years ago.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Everyone I've spoken with, Jake has brought that up. This is a city that's worked really hard to rebuild a police department that's worked really hard to retrain and change and be the type of department that Minneapolis residents can support. And now they are toeing the line, trying to manage a potential escalation, you know, about something that they were not involved in and that they didn't want, and that is happening to them.
Here on the ground, we're a few yards from where that woman lost her life. Right now, you can't see it, but in the middle of this crowd here, there is a vigil. People came to lay flowers and pay their respects to that woman. Now, we're hearing speakers. This crowd has grown substantially. In the last hour, Jake, at a federal courthouse in Minneapolis, there was a crowd of protesters there. They were, you know, chanting, yelling, in some of the video, you can see that a window is cracked. So, I think the concern here, Jake, is that this anger will manifest into something that looks similar to the reaction we saw after George Floyd. That is not something anybody wants, but they admit it could possibly be a reality. It's getting kind of loud, so let me know if you can't hear me. Jake, that is the latest here on the ground.
Earlier, you know, this was all blocked off. And when we saw law enforcement leaving after they had finally processed the scene, we saw people throwing snowballs and ice chunks at the law enforcement as they left. Then, you know, the people were finally able to see exactly where this woman had her last moments on Earth.
And the scene was startling, Jake. There was blood still in the snow. There were pieces of brake light broken among flowers that people had placed in her honor. That is what the scene looks like here in Minneapolis. We will continue to give you the very latest.
TAPPER: And we are expecting the Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, to begin making comments any second now. When that happens, we will bring it to you live.
Whitney, as you note, the protests after George Floyd was murdered turned violent and destructive in Minneapolis in 2020. You've talked to people who live in the neighborhood. I'm sure they're distressed at what happened to that woman who was shot and killed. They must also be worried about what might happen in the neighborhood with protests that I hope it doesn't happen, but protests that could turn violent.
WILD: Right, absolutely. Like I said, every person I've spoken with has brought up George Floyd and is really worried that what is going on with ICE in this city threatens all of that progress.
I spoke with one man who saw this. And this is the other thing I think is hard to understand, Jake, if you're not here. A lot of people saw this. There were multiple witnesses. So, as you saw, there are multiple angles of the incident taken by bystanders. Here's what one man saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREVOR HEITKAMP, WITNESS: I saw the passenger like exit the vehicle. They were crying and their face was covered in blood. The agents on the scene were shouting, no pulse, no pulse. Another man on the scene said, I'm a doctor, I'm a physician, let me into administer emergency medical care. They said, no, back up.
It does not appear aggressive to me. I think that if they felt like they were in any danger, they could have stepped two feet backwards. I think, in my opinion, that this was an unnecessary use of force in a reaction to imagine danger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: Jake, law enforcement will be investigating this. The FBI is the agency that investigates these shootings with other federal law enforcement agencies. We did see FBI agents on the ground. I think notably, Jake, those ICE agents were not required to wear body cameras.
[18:10:01]
So, this investigation will really rely on, again, what the agents are saying and what video in the surrounding area captured. Jake?
TAPPER: All right. Whitney Wild, thank you so much.
The breaking news in Minneapolis, 37-year-old woman shot and killed by an ICE agent, new video, who's coming in of protesters outside the courthouse, banging on doors, chanting ICE out now. We're standing by for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She's going to speak any minute.
Also ahead, Republican Senator Thom Tillis in North Carolina, he went onto the Senate floor and publicly scolded White House Official Stephen Miller for his comments in our interview with him earlier this week, right here on The Lead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news out of Minneapolis, growing fallout after a nice agent shot and killed a U.S. citizen earlier today. On the left of your screen, live pictures of crowds gathering at the site of the shooting in South Minneapolis. On the right of your screen, we're waiting for a news conference from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
But there are is other news in the world today in our World Lead. There has been some ferocious fallout on the U.S. Senate floor, no less, over the interview on this show that we had with White House Deputy Chief of Staffer for Policy Stephen Miller. We were talking about Venezuela, but then also other territorial aspirations of the Trump administration. And Miller said in the wake of not only the Venezuela Maduro operation, but Trump threats to Colombia and Cuba and Mexico, that the U.S. will take Greenland.
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Here's a little bit of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: The real question is, by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?
The United States is the power of NATO. For the United States to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend NATO and NATO interest, obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States.
Nobody's going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. (END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: This afternoon, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is the Republican leader of the Senate NATO Observer Group, came to the Senate floor to suggest that those advising President Trump that he should take over Greenland, that it's a good idea, should lose their jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): It has to start with an interview that I saw with one of the president's senior policy advisers, Stephen Miller, on CNN couple of nights ago.
You know what makes me cranky, stupid? What makes me cranky is when people don't do their homework. What makes me cranky is when we tarnish the extraordinary execution of a mission I fully support in Venezuela by turning around and making insane comments about how it is our right to have territory owned by the Kingdom of Denmark. Folks, amateur hour is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: Cranky or not, Senator Thom Tillis in North Carolina joins us right now. So, do you want Stephen Miller to lose his job?
TILLIS: Look, either Stephen Miller needs to get into a lane where he knows what he is talking about or get out of his job.
Look I've been -- the reason why I thought it was important for me to make a comment on the floor is I've been the Republican leader of the Senate NATO Observer Group since 2018. There is no more important alliance than the NATO alliance. And Denmark has punched above its weight. It came to Afghanistan, lost 43 soldiers on the ground, fought in some of the most contested regions, honoring their Article 5 commitment to the United States.
TAPPER: Yes. I think they lost more soldiers than any other country per capita.
TILLIS: Per capita, they did. And, Jake, they were among the NATO allies at the time, it was 30 nations, they were among the top six. And think about all the nations bigger than them. So, to have the prime minister suggest that they have to be prepared for some sort of action by the United States suggest to me that Mr. Miller does not know anything about the alliance, the importance of it.
And, you know, generals -- I was on Senate Armed Services for eight years and generals would always say the same thing. The only thing worse than going to war with allies is going to war without allies. This alliance is critically important. Shaking that alliance sends a signal to Putin that he's winning and Stephen Miller doesn't represent the U.S. government. He represents the Article 2 branch. And I, as a member of the U.S. Senate get to weigh into this issue. And I know whether they say it out loud or not, most of my colleagues agree with me. TAPPER: Well, let's talk about that. Why aren't they saying anything? And you're the only Republican I know that has spoken so strongly.
TILLIS: Well, in this case it's pretty straightforward. That's my role as the as the Republican leader of the Senate NATO Observer Group. I saw my colleague and friend, Jeanne Shaheen, was on earlier. She's the Democratic lead.
It is very important for the NATO to know that we have their back because they've had ours. We're the only country that has benefited from the Article 5 commitment in Afghanistan where treasure and lives have been lost by our allies. We owe them respect, and we need to make it very clear that our strength and our ability to project power to stand off against Putin, to stand off Russia, I mean, stand off China, Iran, it all rests on this exquisite capability that we have under NATO.
TAPPER: One of the other points you made in your remarks, and I would recommend people go on to the C-SPAN website and check them out, but one of the other points you made is that there have been times in our history where the U.S. has had something like 17 bases in Greenland.
TILLIS: Yes. See that's --
TAPPER: We have one, right -- like none of this is necessary.
TILLIS: That is exactly right. Why on Earth when I think at our height, we had nearly 17 military operations, installations in Greenland. They've made it very clear that they would welcome us back. It is an absolutely perfect platform for power projection in the Arctic, and we should be concerned with.
For the first time in history, Russia and China have done joint military exercises in the Arctic. The Arctic is becoming more navigable. We do need power projection. But what Mr. Miller needs to understand, there's a process for doing that's sustainable and respectful. And what I saw in your interview was unacceptable.
TAPPER: He has been called --
TILLIS: Man, it made me a little cranky.
TAPPER: It made you a little cranky. He's been called Trump's prime minister by Steve Bannon, and he has a lot of power in the White House.
[18:20:02]
TILLIS: Yes. Look, if he's swimming in a lane that he knows something, I'm fine with that. I don't have any personal beef with any of these folks. But I believe in execution, and that was horrible execution in a subject matter he knows nothing about. And it is shifting attention away from an extraordinary success. I completely support the president and what we did to extricate Maduro in Venezuela. We've shifted attention away from that because we all of a sudden see on social media a map of Greenland with the American flag and a Steve Miller talking about it's the position of the U.S. government that they will become a property of the United States. He does not speak for the U.S. government. He speaks for the president or for himself, and he needs to stay in his lane.
TAPPER: North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, always good to have you, sir. Thank you so much.
Back in Minneapolis this hour, you see the crowd there, a candlelight vigil after a woman was killed by an ICE agent today. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is making her way to the podium. She's going to speak in Minneapolis. We're standing by to hear from her any minute. We're going to bring you that news conference when it starts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TAPPER: The Secretary of Homeland Security is speaking right now. Let's listen in
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: -- that in this situation, it was preventable. I've spoken to the president today on the situation here on the ground. I also just got off the phone a little while ago with Governor Walz and spoke to him as well.
I want to reiterate first with all of you the facts of what happened today. At 10:25 A.M. Central Time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement were carrying out lawful operations here in Minneapolis. Because of the adverse weather that Minneapolis has seen in recent snow, one of the vehicles became stuck and ensnared in the snow. Law enforcement were attempting to push out this vehicle.
And when a mob of agitators that were harassing them all day began blocking them in, shouting at them, and impeding law enforcement operations, ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the individual in question who was blocking the officers in with her vehicle, and she had been stalking and impeding their work all throughout the day. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop obstructing law enforcement but she refused to obey their commands.
She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act of domestic terrorism.
The ICE officer fearing for his life and the other officers around him, and the safety of the public fired defensive shots. He used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues. He was treated at a local hospital, has been released and is now with family.
I encourage the American people at this point in time to pray for him but also to pray for the deceased family and her loved ones.
Today, alone in this country, there have been four different domestic terrorist attacks on federal officers by the ramming of vehicles. Three of them happened here in Minneapolis. We've seen over 100 of these vehicle rammings happen in just recent weeks, and this must stop. ICE alone is facing a 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats against all of them. In fact, the very same officer who was attacked today had previously been dragged by an anti-ICE rider who had rammed him with a car and drag him back in June. He sustained injuries at that time as well.
And let me remind you why we're all here in this city today and why we've been here. In communities across this country and here in Minneapolis, we're just enforcing the laws that we have in this country. For years under President Biden, tens of millions of dangerous criminal, illegal aliens, terrorists and suspected terrorists were allowed to invade our country over our southern border. They were allowed to steal, to defraud, and to perpetuate violence against American citizens.
Regardless of who your mayor or who your governor is, President Trump promised every single American that he would make America safe again. He promised every single American that he would work to protect them from dangerous criminals.
Since Governor Walz has been in charge of Minnesota, we have seen homicides go up by over 50 percent. That's also during Mayor Frey's tenure as well. Since President Trump took office, Governor Walz has released over 470 violent criminals back onto the streets here in Minneapolis.
[18:25:07]
He has another 680 of them still within his jurisdiction that he could give to us today to face the consequences for their crimes. Because Governor Walz and Mayor Frey refuse to protect Minnesotans, and instead they protect these criminals, that's why we are here. And we didn't just show up yesterday. We've always been here. But we're surging operations because of the dangerous situation we see in this country and because we're no longer going to allow illegal criminals to damage and harm, to kill, to sexually abuse, to proliferate drugs, and to steal American taxpayers' dollars.
This state has faced unprecedented immigration fraud. It's seen unprecedented benefit fraud. Individuals were allowed to come into this country and set up fake companies and fake non-profits, and divert billions of dollars away from American citizens and those vulnerable citizens who truly needed the services from those programs.
This city has burned before, and your mayor and your governor let it happen. President Trump is not going to let that happen. He and our federal law enforcement officers are here to bring peace and to bring public safety and to ensure that criminal activity is stopped and that people who perpetuate it will face consequences.
Since we have been here in recent weeks, we have arrested over 1,500 criminals off of the streets. Our law enforcement has arrested murderers, known and suspected terrorists, child pedophiles, and other brutal criminals that were protected here in this city. We should all work together to protect our citizens. We should all protect the men and the women and the families who live here in Minneapolis, who live in Minnesota and live throughout this entire country.
I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank you for focusing on the important work that our federal officers do and make sure that we're focused on the priorities of this country and that's making sure that we're keeping people safe.
With that, I'll take any questions that you may have.
REPORTER: Secretary Noem, Mayor Frey called the claims of self- defense B.S. How do you respond to that?
NOEM: I say that he doesn't know what he's talking about. It's very clear that this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations. Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he's been taught to do in that situation and took actions to defend himself and defend his fellow law enforcement officers.
REPORTER: Secretary, can you expand too on the agent's injuries? The president said that he's lucky to be alive.
NOEM: The officer was hit by the vehicle. She hit him. He went to the hospital. A doctor did treat him. He has been released but he's going to spend some time with his family.
REPORTER: Can you clarify whether he was given before or after the gunshots were fired?
NOEM: I can't, but the FBI will continue the investigation and released more facts when it's appropriate.
REPORTER: Secretary Noem, has the agent been relieved of this duty or can you give us any other --
NOEM: No, we're following the standard protocol procedures we do in situations like this. When there's an officer-involved shooting, we make sure that we get the facts and that we are getting the statements from everybody involved and make sure that investigators are handling the decisions.
REPORTER: Secretary Noem, have ICE operations paused because of what happened today?
NOEM: No, we're still out on the streets doing our work to get dangerous criminals off of the streets of Minneapolis.
REPORTER: Can you tell us any insight into your conversation with the governor?
NOEM: You know, Tim and I have known each other for years. We served in Congress together. We both ran for governor the same year and have served as governor at the same times. So, we were colleagues and we discussed what happened here today. We have two very different viewpoints of it. I talked specifically about the fact that we have laws, they need to be enforced. He knows that I believe sanctuary policies have protected criminals and placed a priority of them over the citizens that live here. And he knows we'll continue to do our work. And I encouraged him to work with us.
We've never had a cooperative arrangement with law enforcement here. Whenever we've done investigations, whenever we've done police work, when we've been doing what we can to bring people to justice for the crimes that they commit, we haven't had the cooperation of the State of Minnesota or the city police here under the mayor's direction.
If you talk to any of these federal law enforcement officers, they'll say that when they call for backup in a situation that it's hit and miss. They were grateful today that the police chief and local law enforcement showed up at the scene and helped secure it to make sure that nobody was harmed and that the FBI could do their work, but I would encourage them to work with us, that we could form a partnership that would make sure that individuals have the opportunity to have a safe Minneapolis.
REPORTER: Secretary Noem, will body be released?
REPORTER: Do you stand behind the use of force and will any of those use of force guidelines be altered or changed in the future?
NOEM: You know, it's clearly established law that a vehicle driven by a person and used to harm someone is a deadly weapon.
[18:30:00]
Deadly force is perfectly lawful when a threat is faced by a weapon. So, I do believe that this officer used his training in this situation and will let the FBI continue the investigation to get it resolved.
REPORTER: So, just to be clear, the shooting happened before or after a vehicle hit the officer?
NOEM: I know you keep asking that, but that doesn't mean that the FBI is going to give you an answer today. There will be an investigation. We want to make sure that it's factual. What I would ask is that as we go forward from here today that we all remember that our job is to have peaceful discussions. I'd encourage our local law enforcement and state law enforcement to work with us. We are going to continue to operate here in Minneapolis and in the State of Minnesota to make sure we're going after dangerous criminals.
One of the key focuses that we've had here is a focus on individuals who are sexual predators and are involved in child exploitation. When I was just here yesterday, we arrested individuals who were charged with criminal assault and sexual assault and people that exploited children. Why would you want to keep them on your streets?
President Trump has promised to go after the worst of the worst, and that's exactly what we're doing in Minneapolis. By not working with us, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey are putting those criminals and prioritizing them over our children and our grandchildren.
REPORTER: Governor Walz said that he's not giving any heads up when there is going to -- NOEM: And that's simply not true. He said that to me on the phone too. So, I'll get him the documentation or documentation that he needs so that he knows that we would love to coordinate with him. He doesn't give us access to any information on criminals, let us know who he's detained, doesn't honor our detainers and has individuals and criminals in his jurisdiction that he won't turn over us today too.
Yes?
REPORTER: You mentioned that the officer involved today was once before rammed by a vehicle. Can you explain the difference between that instance and today? Was a firearm discharged then? If not, what was the big difference?
NOEM: I won't speak to that case right now, but we can get you the details and the information on that. But the facts of the matter is he was an experienced officer. He's been in situations like this before. And he certainly has been out there and followed his training today.
REPORTER: Given the threat of vehicle encounter, are you going to change the way police --
NOEM: You know, people need to stop using their vehicles as weapons.
REPORTER: Are you going to change the --
NOEM: This domestic act of terrorism to use your vehicle to try to kill law enforcement officers is going to stop. And I'm asking the Department of Justice to prosecute it as domestic terrorism because it's clear that it's being coordinated, people are being trained and told how to use their vehicles to impede law enforcement operations, and then to run over anybody who gets in their way while they go out there and try to disrupt peace and public safety, and Americans deserve better.
REPORTER: Can you say what (INAUDIBLE) the National Guard, deploying the National Guard?
NOEM: That hasn't been a part of the discussion. I know Governor Walz mentioned some of that earlier in his press conference, but we know we've got law enforcement officers here that will continue to work and we're hopeful that the public recognizes that the work that we do every day makes America safe again.
REPORTER: Can you give some insight into the operation that was happening at 34th Portland?
NOEM: We had law enforcement officers that were out there doing an enforcement action. And they -- a vehicle got stuck in the snow and so they had called for other people to come and help them get that vehicle out. Those officers were trying to free the vehicle when the harassment started, when the protesters were out there impeding their vehicles and preventing them from leaving the scene.
REPORTER: Was it a particular home or business in that intersection?
NOEM: I won't speak to that.
REPORTER: Can you speak would be on the crime that person may be committed that you were going after? And you mentioned sexual crime, okay. Will body camera footage be released?
NOEM: I will let the FBI decide.
REPORTER: Were they on Target today when they were in that neighborhood?
NOEM: They were returning back to headquarters, I believe, to start a new operation had just completed one.
REPORTER: Was it an ICE vehicle?
NOEM: Well, thank you. What's that?
REPORTER: Was it an ICE vehicle that had --
NOEM: I was one of the vehicles that ICE officers were using. But remember, when we operate in a task force model. So, we have other federal agencies that work with us and we're very grateful for that. We have CBP officers, the FBI, DEA, ATF, all of those -- all work with us every day in a task force model, and we appreciate it. We'd love to have the state police, and we'd also love to have the Minneapolis Police chief and his team be alongside of us while we're out there doing those enforcement operations.
REPORTER: Were the agent's leader --
NOEM: With that, we'll give you more information as it is revealed, but thank you and, everybody, let's work together to make sure that we can continue to help the city be safer, get more criminals off the streets, and ensure that our public has the opportunity to pursue the American dream in a city they can be proud of.
Thank you.
TAPPER: All right. You've been listening to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, speaking in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after the deadly shooting in that town of a U.S. citizen by an ICE agent.
Let's bring in CNN's Whitney Wild in Minneapolis and CNN's Priscilla Alvarez.
[18:35:03]
Priscilla, what stands out to you about what you just heard from the DHS secretary?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, a few headlines here. Number one, she spoke with the governor. That was a question earlier on during the press conference. He said that he had tried to reach her and had been unable to. So, now we know that the two of them have talked. She also provided a bit more detail about what happened proceeding the videos that you have aired and that we have seen of the vehicle driving away and those shots being fired.
She describes a situation in which there was a targeted operation ongoing. One of the federal vehicles got stuck. They were trying to free that vehicle over the course of that time. They also say that this individual was harassing and impeding operations. She also stood by the officer for those reasons, citing those reasons, saying that the officer followed his training, when she was describing the lead up to that shooting. She also described him as an experienced officer. We don't have a lot more detail about how long he has been with the force, but she says that he was experienced. And she also says that he was taken to the hospital and he has since been released and is going to spend time with family.
She also says the FBI is going to investigate and continue their investigation into this incident. And notably, Jake, she says that ICE will continue their presence in Minneapolis. We have heard strong words from local officials who have said that they need to get out, they being ICE, from the Minneapolis area, but she maintained that they're going to stay on the streets there and continue to conduct their operations, which they have touted over the course of the last couple days as the biggest immigration operation to-date under President Donald Trump's second term.
So, really, the bottom line here is that the Department of Homeland Security had laid out a set of facts earlier in the day. They are maintaining that many hours later in describing the events that unfolded here. And they are saying that they are standing behind the officer and the way that he conducted himself here, that obviously led to the death of this U.S. citizen woman, and that they are going to continue their -- continue in Minneapolis and will defer all of their questions to the FBI for investigation.
But certainly, again, Jake, the secretary sticking with what the department has been saying over the course of the day.
TAPPER: Right. So, let's -- I'm going to read the comments that she made at the top of her remarks just a few minutes ago, and then after I read that, I want to show the actual video so all the viewers out there can assess if what they heard from Secretary Noem lines up with what they see in this video, and then I'm going to go to Whitney Wild, who is on the scene of the shooting.
So, she said that this all started at 10:25 A.M. And there was that incident with the car stuck in the snow. Okay, then she says law enforcement was attempting to push out this vehicle. A mob of agitators that were harassing them all day began blocking them and shouting them, impeding law enforcement operations. Okay, she hasn't said that, that's the woman in question.
But then she says, ICE officers and agents approached the vehicle of the individual in question who was blocking the officers in with her vehicle, and she had been stalking and impeding their work all throughout the day. ICE agents repeatedly ordered her to get out of the car and to stop instructing -- stop obstructing law enforcement, but she refused to obey their commands. She then proceeded to weaponize her vehicle and she attempted to run a law enforcement officer over. This appears as an attempt to kill or to cause bodily harm to agents, an act domestic terrorism. The ICE officer fearing for his life and the other officers around him and the safety of the public fired defensive shots. He used his training to save his own life and that of his colleagues.
That is what the secretary of Homeland Security said just minutes ago about the video I'm going to show you right now.
Whitney Wild, you're on the scene. I am sure that Secretary Noem sticking with the version, her narrative of what happened on that street that she shared earlier this day, that she's maintaining that that's what happened is going to upset a lot of people who saw with their own eyes what happened.
WILD: Absolutely. I think it is very clear, you know, you're hearing from Governor Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, that they have seen the video themselves. They do not believe that the narrative the DHS is putting out there is true. And actually people are so angry here that earlier today when I was describing the DHS statement.
[18:40:01]
The moment that I started to describe it, people started screaming because they were offended by this DHS narrative that this was a justified shooting. They are incredibly angry. Secretary Noem's words, I am sure, will do very little to calm tensions here. They may even (INAUDIBLE).
Now, the question is, there's all this anger, where does it go? What is the direction that this anger will take? As I mentioned before, and we've been talking about all day, the context here that is unique to Minneapolis is that this is the aftermath of the George Floyd riots that started a nationwide change in law enforcement. This is a city (INAUDIBLE) to build back a lot. They don't want that to get torn away, but they realized that that is a possibility.
Earlier today, we saw protesters at the courthouse. They -- in some of the video, you can see them shouting, chanting at one point, seeming to either lock arms or kind of stand in a line. There's also video that shows a cracked window.
So, the question becomes, does the anger get directed toward the federal law enforcement buildings here, the federal court? Does it get directed, as we've seen in other cities, at the ICE field offices? We certainly saw that in Chicago. We've seen it in Los Angeles. So, that is question.
Right now, again, we are just yards from where this woman lost her life. It was right where I'm standing that this all unfolded. And right now, what you're seeing is people moving away. They're trying to reopen the street so that people can park. This is a residential area. There were a lot of people who saw this, a lot of people who took video of it. And people are -- you know, they're here to pay respects to the woman who lost her life. They're here to listen to people speak.
And, Jake, I'll leave you with this. Over and over, we are hearing people chant her name. They're saying, say her name and you're hearing the crowd chant her name. This is another George Floyd moment here. And the people here, you know, hope, assume that this moment will not be lost in a week, in a month, in a year. This is another turning point here, and they're telling you plainly they want ICE out of Minneapolis. Back to you, Jake.
TAPPER: All right. And, Priscilla Alvarez, just to -- not to put too fine a point on it, but you have a lot of sources within the Trump administration in the immigration realm, in Homeland Security and ICE, and all over, people who support President Trump, who support his immigration agenda, who support these operations, and even some of them do not think that this description, this narrative of events from the secretary of Homeland Security is what they see in that video.
ALVAREZ: Yes, Jake. I'll add to that, that, typically, what we often hear from federal law enforcement sources too is that unless they have the whole set of circumstances, they can't pass judgment. But in this case, just from the videos they have seen, a lot of my sources are scratching their heads. I actually, just before we went on air, had a veteran ICE official who texted me and said, they just don't recognize this agency anymore.
So, there are a lot of questions here. Of course, ICE has been doing work, like targeted operations, for years. They have been in dangerous situations before. So, seeing something like this unfold where a woman was killed, it begs the question as to whether the officer did in fact follow training protocol.
Now, the secretary is standing by this officer, saying that he did follow standard protocol, but at the same token, this is still under investigation by the FBI. So, yes, certainly still a lot of questions even after that presser from the Department of Homeland Security.
TAPPER: I believe the secretary also made a comment about how this ICE officer had been dragged in an operation in Bloomington, Minnesota last June, dragged 50 yards, survived it, obviously. But one wonders if that was part of this in any way.
Priscilla Alvarez, Whitney Wild, thanks to both. I really appreciate it.
Joining us now, Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida. We have him here to talk about Venezuela, but there is this breaking news and I am wondering your reaction to the shooting. I don't know if you've seen any of the video.
REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Yes, I've seen the video and I have a number of questions. Look, I was as I was a firefighter, but I was also on the SWAT team, so I have some police training, and as mayor of Miami-Dade County, I was also the sheriff of Miami-Dade County.
And so in these instances, you have certain views, but I want to see all the views, but I certainly do have questions about this shooting. TAPPER: Do you think the ICE officer was justified in shooting the woman or that's -- you're not sure?
GIMENEZ: Again, you're going to have to get all the views. Hopefully, he had body cam on himself.
TAPPER: I don't think he did. I don't think ICE agents are required to wear body cam.
GIMENEZ: Again, I have questions about this one.
TAPPER: All right.
GIMENEZ: And so I try to give police officers the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, but those are disturbing images and I do have questions about this incident.
TAPPER: All right, understood.
Let's turn to Venezuela because I know this is an issue that you care a great deal about. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told CBS News that nobody trusts the current acting president of Venezuela, the former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
[18:45:06]
The Trump administration picked her over Machado, at least in the short term, here to lead this transition.
Honestly, Maduro's regime, with the exception of Maduro and his wife, is still running things. Was that the right choice?
REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): Yeah, I think so. I'll tell you why. And I'm a supporter of Maria Machado.
TAPPER: Yeah.
GIMENEZ: You know, I went to Oslo to, you know, to be with her when she received the Nobel Peace Prize. But to bring Maria Corina Machado now would put her in danger, I believe.
And so those -- that regime is still in control. They have the security apparatus, et cetera. And so, I wouldn't trust Maria Corina Machado going back right now to take over the country and may actually, you know, create chaos. We need a process to get to that.
TAPPER: How do we get to that process?
GIMENEZ: Well, I mean, I think the secretary has laid out a process where --
TAPPER: Secretary Rubio
GIMENEZ: Correct, where the current the current regime, which I don't trust. All right? She's -- you know, Delcy Rodriguez is part of that regime, which I don't trust. But we have ways to influence her. And the information I have is that she understands it and that we need to get to a point where the opposition can come back because most of the opposition is outside of the country.
The opposition can also come back under conditions which assures their security. And then the opposition can actually start the campaigns, et cetera., to have an election to get to a duly elected representative of the people of Venezuela. Whether that will be what happened back in '24, which was Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado, maybe, or a new election.
I remember the only reason that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is, is the elected president of Venezuela, and Maria Corina Machado is the vice president is because the Maduro regime eliminated Maria Corina Machado from being the president. And so --
TAPPER: Gonzalez should be the president right now.
GIMENEZ: Well, yes, but he -- but look, what should be and what can be are two separate things, okay? And so -- and so, I think the Trump administration is doing the right thing in order to assure actually for security purposes and assure the safety of Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Maria Corina Machado that it doesn't happen like right now, because the situation is still in flux.
TAPPER: All right. I have many more questions for you, but I'm going to have to let you go.
Please come back. I have a lot more questions. And this Machado Venezuela story is incredibly important and also very interesting.
GIMENEZ: Yes.
TAPPER: Thank you so much, Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Republican, thank you so much.
Turning back to the breaking news, we have a live look now at these crowds, a candlelight vigil for the 37-year-old woman shot and killed by an ICE agent when the Department of Homeland Security says she tried to run over an ICE officer with an SUV.
And joining us now is the governor of Maryland, Democrat Wes Moore.
Governor, thank you so much for joining us.
What is your reaction to what we've seen today in Minneapolis?
GOV. WES MOORE (D), MARYLAND: Well, I'm outraged and I'm heartbroken for this woman. I'm heartbroken for her family. I'm heartbroken for the community because this is a realization of our worst fears of exactly the thing that we hoped would never have to happen when these initial decisions about how we're mobilizing federal troops actually started happening.
And, you know, this is not what the people want, where we are now spending billions of dollars to mobilize our federal forces to now go after children and farm workers and people without any form of due process. And so I'm outraged by the video that I saw.
You know, I know there is going to be a further investigation, and I stand with every other American and call for a thorough investigation as to what happened and to ensure that that real justice is understood inside this moment.
TAPPER: We heard Democratic officials in Minnesota, especially the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, expressing frustration about what it's been like to be a local official dealing with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE and other agencies in the Trump administration.
Here's Mayor Frey. Take a listen
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JACOB FREY (D), MINNEAPOLIS: They are not here to cause safety in this city. What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They're ripping families apart. They're sowing chaos on our streets. And in this case, quite literally killing people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: What has it been like for you and the people that work in Maryland and Baltimore to deal with the federal agents under Trump?
MOORE: Well, the mayor is correct in the fact that there is not a seriousness in the way these policies are being done, because also, the way these policies are supposed to be administered is actually with us, not to us. And we are seeing policies that are being done to us as local leaders.
[18:50:01]
And I take the issue of immigration very seriously and very personally. The idea and the fact that we need immigration reform, you know? And I know that as the people of my state know that public safety is my number one priority. And I also believe in following the constitution as well, in order to achieve real results.
The challenge that we've seen from ICE and what we've seen from so many of these federal agents, is that a focus on true public safety and a focus on following the Constitution does not seem to be their priorities. And so, the frustration that the mayor articulated is one that is shared by many local and state leaders all across the United States of America right now.
TAPPER: On the subject of crime, which is obviously what the president and his administration say when it comes to why they're doing these immigration raids. The city of Baltimore just hit a positive milestone, recording 133 homicides in 2025. That's the lowest number of homicides in nearly 50 years.
2025 was also the third consecutive year that Baltimore saw homicides fall by double digits. The mayor of Baltimore, we've had on him on the show several times. He's crediting his violence reduction program, which narrows law enforcements focus to high risk individuals instead of large swaths of Baltimore.
Do you agree? Are there other factors at play here? What's your take?
MOORE: We've been incredibly encouraged by the results that we've seen. And you know, we know we still have more work to do. But the reality is what we're doing now is working.
You know, the year before I became the governor in 2022, Baltimore was averaging almost a homicide a day. And when we came on board, we decided to do something really unique, which is actually work together, work together with the mayor, work together with local law enforcement, work together with our states attorney.
We made Maryland one of the only states in the country that actually helps to fund the U.S. attorney out of balance sheet. And what we have now seen is that violent crime in the state of Maryland has fallen faster than anywhere in the United States of America over these past three years. And yes, in Baltimore City, for example, you know, the last time the homicide rate was this low, I wasn't born yet. And so, we put a real focus on funding local law enforcement funding technology and using technology to make sure were actually capturing those who are the, you know, who are the perpetrators of violent crime, particularly violent crime with guns.
But also, we're working with our community groups. We're working with community violence interrupters, we're working with the mayor, we're working with everybody. And I think we're seeing here in Maryland that partnership produces progress in this fight to address public safety.
TAPPER: One of the connected challenges when it comes to the crime rate in Baltimore and Maryland in general, is education and problems with the public education system. You recently announced that the teacher vacancy rate in Maryland has dropped by more than 50 percent since the 2022, 2023 school year, and this has led, you believe, to an uptick in reading scores and math scores in nearly every single grade level.
Have any other governors or anyone else throughout the country reached out to learn more about how you've been able to do this? How you've been able to keep good teachers in the schools?
MOORE: Well, we've been really proud of the results that that we've seen where Maryland's having amongst the fastest rises in actually in teachers and people who are coming into -- coming into the profession. And I currently serve as the vice chair of the National Governors Association. So, I work with both Democratic and Republican governors, and we are sharing a lot of our best practices.
But one of the things were also really proud of is the focus that we put on young men and boys, and actually getting more males and more males of color into the classroom.
I think that when you look at the jumps that we've seen of people entering into the classroom, the fact that we've had a deliberate and intentional focus on recruitment of when it comes to getting more male teachers, more teachers of color, that we have now seen, that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance has now fired more federal workers in Maryland than any state in this entire country in the past 11 months that they've been there. But what we've done is we've been very intentional about recruiting our federal workers to come into our classrooms as well, and to be teachers. It's called our Feds to Eds initiative, which is also been a significant contributor to the amount of educators that we now have entering into the classroom.
So, we know we still have more work to do. But if education is something that is going to be the backbone of any future growth that we hope for, we're very encouraged about the results were now seeing inside the state of Maryland.
TAPPER: All right. The governor of Maryland, Democrat Wes Moore, thank you so much, sir. Appreciate it
MOORE: It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
TAPPER: We're continuing to follow the reaction after the shooting of the 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent today. Here's what Speaker Mike Johnson had to say just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Look, I do think that its right. I think, I guess maybe it was Homeland or someone put out a statement that this clearly appears to be the result of this just months-long rhetoric against law enforcement and people encouraging that kind of violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:55:04]
TAPPER: Here now is our panel. Ramesh, what's your reaction to what the speaker just said?
RAMESH PONNURU, EDITOR, NATIONAL REVIEW: We are seeing so much polarization around this incident. You're seeing it online. Youve got Republicans suggesting this was domestic terrorism. You've got Democrats calling it murder.
I think there are some other possibilities here.
TAPPER: Right.
PONNURU: It's possible, for example, that you saw two people panic in a very tragic way. For example, in a split-second circumstance. But that's the kind of possibility that is just being barreled right over in this conversation.
TAPPER: It's entirely possible that the woman thought that she was just trying to flee, that she was in danger, and that he thought that she was going to run over him. And also because of this incident that happened to him last June, where he was dragged by somebody that he was trying to arrest, maybe that was part of it.
All of this is possible. I'm kind of amazed at how many people are -- politicians are jumping to conclusions.
ARSHI SIDDIQUI, FOUNDER, BELLWETHER GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS: I think some of this is coming to a boiling point in terms of this pattern and practice of the administration going into these ICE agents, going into local communities, blue state communities, not coordinating with local enforcement. And a lot of folks are getting dragged in. Grandmothers, U.S. citizens, children into this wide net. So, I think we're seeing in real time all of that frustration coming to a head.
TAPPER: So, Speaker Johnson arrived at the right answer, according to you, in a when Manu Raju asked him about it, he seemed to have say like, oh, this is obviously because of all the demonization of law enforcement. But then -- but then Manu said this and asked him about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNSON: I don't know, I wasn't there and neither were you. And it's wrong for people to jump to these conclusions without a full investigation. You have to find out the facts on the ground, and I think that will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So that's the correct answer, right? We don't know what happened.
PONNURU: That's right. And I would also say in terms of responsible rhetoric from politicians that Governor Walz, who I'm not a fan of in general, you know, he encouraged the protests to stay peaceful. I think that's a very important note that he sounded there. But our politics have, on immigration in particular, have been pushing us toward a moment like this for a long time.
It's partly, I think, because of the way this administration has gone about immigration enforcement. They've made some choices. They could have done other things. They could have, for example, tried to do something to sanction employers who hire illegal immigrants might have been less intrusive, less dangerous way, and a more effective way of enforcing the immigration laws. They didn't do it.
I also think the sanctuary policies and the over-the-top anti-ICE rhetoric on the left side of the equation has been irresponsible as well.
TAPPER: So somebody in Governor Walz's office texted me after Kristi Noem's press conference and said, for what it's worth, we don't get a heads up when the feds are coming to Minnesota for these immigration raids. Theres no coordination. Minnesota is not a sanctuary state. Even though the twin cities are sanctuary city, or at least Minneapolis is, and murder rates are not up 50 percent since Walz took office. Just -- that's their response to what she had to say. SIDDIQUI: Well, it did seem when you were watching that press
conference that you it seemed a tale of two cities in terms of the -- of the way this is being characterized, but also with -- I think there is something with this administration and their preoccupation with Governor Walz. I mean, I think there's something there as well. And we've seen that a little bit --
TAPPER: Well, he did call them weird last year. The other thing that that a former FBI official pointed out to me is that this is not being handled according to standard protocol that Kristi Noem exonerated the agent this morning before there was any investigation at all. Federal shooting review investigations have historically taken weeks or even months before an agency renders judgment about the action. So --
PONNURU: Yeah, and I thought Walz also on that point was wrong. He also, I thought, rushed to judgment in his remarks.
But, you know, one of the questions here is, is there actually going to be any kind of legal case against this agent? I've seen a lot of speculation about that, but I think there's a real question about whether anything can really happen.
SIDDIQUI: I mean, I think you look at that press conference, it doesn't sound like there is it seems like that judgment has been made. And I think that lack of accountability is the real issue here is that if there is an accountability and transparency and you brought up body cams earlier in the show, I mean, that's another piece. That's not required for ICE agents as well.
So, there are some real long term issues that need to be resolved or this is going to continue to be a really tragic consequences. I think, of that four-year-old boy who's now an orphan.
TAPPER: Yeah, because the father died a few years ago.
Manu Raju just got some reaction from New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Here's part of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): This is now turned into what our greatest fear is and has been for a long time around ICE, that this will be used as an anti-civilian force that has no accountability. At the end of the day, what we saw today is the murder and murders in cold blood need to be prosecuted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAPPER: So, again, a murder -- that's a -- that's for a judge, a jury to decide. Not somebody who just saw one video.
PONNURU: Yeah, I think that's -- that's an example of the kind of unhelpful statement that our polarization has led to this moment, and that's going to polarize us further.
TAPPER: Arshi, last thoughts?
SIDDIQUI: I would say that AOC has long time had some really criticism of ICE. So I think this has been boiling up for her and bubbling up for her for a while.
TAPPER: Let's pray for peace in Minnesota this evening. Let's hope that the protests stay peaceful.
Thanks to both of you.
"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.
