Over 34,000 Minnesotans volunteer as ICE-watchers since Renee Good shooting

More than 34,000 Minnesotans have signed up to serve as volunteer observers of federal immigration enforcement operations since the fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier this month, according to the Washington Post.

Activists in Minneapolis and surrounding areas have been organizing through a network of volunteers using the encrypted messaging app Signal, coordinating ICE observing efforts to track and document the movements of ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers as they carry out operations

At a news conference earlier this week, federal border czar Tom Homan, who was sent to Minnesota to oversee the operation in place of border patrol leader Greg Bovino, said the administration would continue to carry out “targeted” enforcement actions in the city. Homan reiterated that a reduction in the number of federal agents is possible if state and local officials cooperate with federal authorities, but he also warned that “justice is coming” for far-left agitators.

When asked about the Signal chats, Homan said, "About the organization and the funding of the attacks on ICE, I'm not going to answer a lot about that, because I'm not going to show our hand, but they'll be held accountable. Justice is coming."

Tensions have continued to run high in Minnesota as activists mobilize to monitor agents and protest federal actions following both the killing of Good and the later fatal shooting of another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, by federal agents. The rapid-response network on Signal, revealed by independent journalist Cam Hibgby, has allowed activists to monitor, identify, and interfere with ICE activity. The group chats allocate certain “patrol zones” that guide activists on where to operate.

Activists have continued to be seen impeding ICE operations, blowing whistles, and disrupting enforcement actions. Both Good and Pretti had a history of being a part of activist efforts as well, as Good was reportedly a member of an ICE watchers group, and Pretti was seen on video days before his fatal shooting spitting at federal agents and kicking in the tail-light of one of their vehicles.