Renee Good's family sues Trump administration, ICE agents over her killing

Renee Good's family is suing the U.S. government, members of the Trump administration, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs agent who killed her in Minneapolis early this year.

Romanucci & Blandin announced a pair of civil lawsuits Thursday, with its founding partner declaring that "the day of accountability has arrived for our own U.S. government and its governmental agencies ICE and CBP."

"Our country cannot tolerate unjustified and excessive use of force – let alone deadly force – on ordinary people who are exercising their rights under the Constitution," Antonio M. Romanucci said during a news conference.

"Let me tell you, ICE and CBP are not above the Constitution. Federal agents do not get a free pass to use excessive force against ordinary people exercising their rights. There is no such thing as impunity when it comes to violating protected rights. When government power crosses the line, there must be accountability, and our government is not exempt from the rule of law."

"Our government is killing our citizens without any legal justification," he continued. "Folks, we live in a democracy, not a dictatorship."

Good's family enlisted the Chicago-based law firm shortly after the 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross near Portland Avenue and 34th Street.

Video of the incident shows that Good was blocking one lane of Portland Avenue during an apparent ICE operation, and was trying to drive away from the scene when Ross opened fire multiple times, calling her a "f****** b****" as she crashed into parked vehicles nearby.

The Trump administration initially sought to blame Good, alleging that she tried to "ram" the agent despite video contradicting that narrative.

The lawsuits allege wrongful death, conspiracy and other violations in Good's killing. They were filed on behalf of Good's widow, Becca, and her brother, Brent Ganger, trustee for the next of kin, both of whom spoke during the news conference Thursday.

"Accountability and change – true accountability and change – is the only way to make sure no other family has to go through what we have," Becca Good said.

The federal government is accused of committing unconstitutional acts during Operation Metro Surge under the guise of an effort to deport the "worst of the worst" undocumented immigrants.

"What happened went far beyond that scope," Romanucci said. "It ensnared an inexcusable number of good and decent people, including Renee Good. The world was stunned by what they saw on Jan. 7; our government normalizing and neutralizing what our eyes saw."

One of the lawsuits claims Operation Metro Surge was the "direct product" of President Donald Trump's "unmistakable animus" towards Somali people, and was a coordinated campaign to target Somalis and Latinos in Minnesota and silence anyone who protested, including legal observers such as Good.

It names several Trump officials who allegedly conspired to interfere with civil rights, including former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, border czar Tom Homan, former ICE director Todd Lyons, and former Border Patrol leader Gregory Bovino.

Ross and 10 additional federal agents identified as "John Doe" are accused of violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, and Homeland Security's use-of-force policies, including one that prohibits agents from shooting someone to stop them from fleeing.

"We are focused on the extraordinary overreach of the federal government and federal agents who have used aggressive tactics that ignore well-established protocols and training for law enforcement officers, and used excessive and unnecessary force, causing countless U.S. citizens and legal residents to become collateral damage," Romanucci said.

Ross still hasn't been charged criminally in Good's death, but the hope is that her family's civil lawsuits lead to criminal charges.

Romanucci & Blandin previously represented George Floyd's family in a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis, former MPD officer Derek Chauvin, and three others charged in his death, and secured a record $27 million settlement.

This story was originally published by Bring Me The News on Oct 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN News section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.