New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sharply questioned the training provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday, responding to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s defense of an ICE officer involved in the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis earlier this week.
“If that is ‘following his training,’ then I think there are larger questions about the training that’s being provided to ICE agents,” Mamdani told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during an interview on “The Source.”
Mamdani, a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge, described the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, as “murder” after viewing video of the incident. He called the event “a glimpse into what has been a year full of cruelty” under the current administration.
“We can all see that video and come to our own conclusions that that ICE agent murdered a woman in Minneapolis,” Mamdani said. “These ICE raids are cruel and inhumane and they do nothing to further the cause or the interest of public safety.”
The remarks came in response to Noem’s assertion during a Minneapolis press conference that the ICE agent followed standard training when he fired shots in self-defense after Good allegedly used her vehicle as a weapon to try to run him over. Noem has maintained that the officer acted appropriately amid escalating attacks on federal agents.
Video of the shooting, widely circulated online, shows Good’s vehicle reversing before moving forward and turning as the shots were fired. It remains unclear whether the vehicle struck the officer, who was treated at a hospital and released.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the incident, which occurred Wednesday morning during an ICE operation hampered by snow.
Mamdani’s comments reflect deepening tensions between the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown and Democratic-led sanctuary jurisdictions. New York City, under Mamdani’s leadership, has reaffirmed its sanctuary status and vowed not to cooperate with ICE enforcement actions targeting non-criminal immigrants.
Noem has previously criticized sanctuary policies in cities like New York and Minneapolis, accusing local leaders of protecting criminals and contributing to public safety risks. She has cited federal operations resulting in thousands of arrests of individuals she described as dangerous offenders.
The Minneapolis shooting has fueled protests across the country, including in New York City, where demonstrators have condemned the federal actions and called for an end to ICE raids.
Mamdani told Collins he has raised his concerns directly with the president, arguing that the current approach to immigration enforcement threatens the safety and well-being of communities nationwide.
“When ICE agents attack immigrants, they attack every single one of us across this country,” he said.
The White House and Department of Homeland Security have not yet issued a formal response to Mamdani’s latest remarks.
