On Sunday, January 11, 2026, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper to address the ongoing controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. The incident has sparked widespread protests, disputes over the federal narrative, and tensions between local officials and the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security.
Tapper asked Frey to respond to statements from Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, who accused Frey and other Minneapolis leaders of demonizing ICE officers. Tapper noted Frey’s prior criticism of Noem’s quick labeling of the incident as domestic terrorism, while also pointing out Frey’s own comments on the day of the shooting: “This was a federal agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying.”
Tapper asked if Frey’s rhetoric needed to change.
Frey affirmed his statement, saying: “Yes. Yes, I said this was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying, because that was a federal agent recklessly using power that ended up in somebody dying. It’s exactly what happened.”
He explained his perspective: “I mean, am I biased in this? Of course. And I’m biased because I have got two eyes. Anybody can see these videos. Anybody can see that this victim is not a domestic terrorist. I mean, my goodness, she’s, like, doing a three- or a four- or five-point turn. This looks like somebody that’s trying to get out of there. If doing a three-point turn or a four-point turn is a domestic terrorist, then my wife is a criminal every single day. This — it does not make sense.”
Frey stressed the need for a proper process: “We’ve got to be operating from a point of, of course, have this investigation. It should be a neutral, unbiased investigation, where you get the facts. And, by the way, I shouldn’t be the one conducting the investigation, nor should Kristi Noem. But you should have an entity that is able to do it with some common sense and operating in reality.”
The comments came amid conflicting accounts of the shooting. Federal officials, including Noem, described Good’s actions as weaponizing her vehicle against officers and impeding an enforcement operation, releasing video 48 hours later to support their view. Local leaders and bystander videos have highlighted Good—a U.S. citizen, mother of three, poet, and apparent legal observer—appearing calm and attempting to maneuver her car away, with no clear evidence of intent to harm. The FBI is leading the investigation, and state agencies like the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have been excluded after initial involvement.
Frey’s appearance followed Noem’s earlier interview on the same program, where she defended her statements and called for local leaders like Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to tone down rhetoric and cooperate with federal efforts. The exchange reflects broader friction over the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement in sanctuary-leaning cities like Minneapolis, where Good was reportedly present as a supporter of affected neighbors during the operation. Protests have continued nationwide, and a GoFundMe for Good’s family has raised significant funds.
