Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons forcefully rejected claims from Democratic lawmakers that a federal officer “assassinated” a woman during a fatal shooting in Minneapolis last week, saying the officer acted within seconds to protect his life and the lives of fellow agents, as reported by Fox News.
Lyons addressed the controversy Sunday during an appearance on “The Sunday Briefing,” responding directly to remarks made by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other Democrats following the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.
“Look at the video, look at this situation. It wasn’t an assassination,” Lyons said. “That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not a short time, to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents.”
Good was shot and killed last week after she reportedly accelerated her vehicle toward a federal agent during an ICE operation in Minneapolis.
Federal officials have said the incident occurred as agents were carrying out their enforcement duties.
Ocasio-Cortez and several other Democratic lawmakers publicly condemned the shooting, with some characterizing it as an unjustified killing.
The New York congresswoman escalated her criticism on Capitol Hill last Friday, responding to comments made by Vice President J.D. Vance defending ICE operations and the actions of federal agents.
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“I understand that Vice President Vance believes that shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not, and that is a fundamental difference between Vice President Vance and I,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“I do not believe that the American people should be assassinated in the street.”
Lyons said such rhetoric ignores the reality faced by officers on the ground and places federal agents at greater risk.
“I think a lot of the political rhetoric is where we’re at right now in the first place,” Lyons said. “There’s just so many attacks on ICE and, unfortunately, it does come from a lot of elected officials.”
He accused lawmakers of fueling hostility toward immigration officers rather than cooperating with federal authorities.
Lyons also criticized elected officials who call for resisting or obstructing ICE operations, arguing that such messaging emboldens individuals who target agents.
“For elected officials to call upon the impediment of ICE, to resist ICE, that only stokes these fires and gets these individuals who aren’t trying to do the right thing when it comes to ICE… [it] gets them fired up more,” Lyons said.
The acting director said ICE agents are increasingly being doxxed and exposed to threats, and he argued that political leaders should focus on accountability rather than attacking the agency.
Lyons added that many enforcement encounters could be avoided entirely if local jurisdictions cooperated with ICE instead of resisting federal immigration law.
“There would be little need for ICE to be in the streets if local jurisdictions worked with the agency to hand over criminal illegal aliens,” he said.
“Just turn them over to us in a safe, secure environment, and you wouldn’t have to have us going out and arresting these folks.”
The Minneapolis shooting remains under investigation, and federal officials have said additional details will be released as reviews continue.
Meanwhile, the incident has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing political battle over immigration enforcement and the role of ICE, with Lyons signaling that the agency will continue its operations despite mounting criticism from Democratic lawmakers.
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