Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the investigation is “baseless.” The statement comes as more than half of Americans say the shooting was unjustified in the latest poll.
Celebrities wear Renee Good pins at the Golden Globes
At the Golden Globe Awards, celebrities wore pins commemorating Renee Goode, who was murdered by ICE agents.
Justice Department officials said on January 13 that the investigation into the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three whose shooting by immigration enforcement officers sparked protests across the United States, is “baseless.”
“There is no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation at this time,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement referring to Good.
The 37-year-old was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer Jonathan Ross on January 7 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as she drove her car near ICE agents. Her death sparked widespread protests against the Trump administration’s use of the Department of Homeland Security’s military.
President Donald Trump defended Ross, saying it was “hard to believe” that the officer survived. Government officials say a crackdown on controversial immigration enforcement is needed to root out foreign-born criminals from the country. The Department of Homeland Security deployment to Minnesota comes in response to what authorities say is widespread fraud in social welfare programs linked to Somali immigrants.
Good’s murder and the widely circulated footage of the incident sparked immediate outrage. Prominent Democratic lawmakers called for Ross’ arrest and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be impeached. A new national poll conducted days after the shooting found that more than half of American voters believe the shooting was unjustified.
Blanche did not elaborate, saying the killing did not warrant a Justice Department investigation. An agency spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the basis of the investigation.
The Justice Department is instead investigating Goode’s widow, according to reports from the New York Times and NBC News. Joe Thompson, the acting Minnesota attorney appointed to investigate the state’s fraud scandal, and other federal prosecutors have resigned in protest.
A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Goode’s widow would be prosecuted.
