Pappas Calls Minnesota Shooting 'Outrageous' As Anti-ICE Protests Hit New Hampshire

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

The political fallout from the fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis by an ICE agent has reached New Hampshire, with protests in Merrimack and a likely 2026 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate declaring the agent’s actions “outrageous” and an “unnecessary use of excessive force.”

On Wednesday morning, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot after she drove her SUV toward an ICE agent, following a day in which federal officials say she followed — and impeded — federal immigration enforcement officers operating in Minneapolis.

Reaction to the shooting death has broken largely along partisan lines. Most Republicans say video of the incident shows a law enforcement officer acting in self-defense.

“You have a woman who was trying to obstruct a legitimate law enforcement operation. Nobody debates that,” Vice President JD Vance said Thursday. “You have a woman who aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator. Nobody debates that. I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left, which has marshaled an entire movement — a lunatic fringe — against our law enforcement officers.”

(CREDIT: Jeffrey Hastings)

Most Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, have a very different view. They say the video shows a frightened woman attempting to avoid conflict, who was killed as a result of what they describe as an out-of-control immigration enforcement policy by the Trump administration.

“The shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother and U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis is outrageous,” Pappas posted Thursday. “The American people want law and order, they want their communities to be safe, and they want dangerous criminals off the streets and brought to justice. What Americans don’t want is neighborhoods constantly patrolled by federal agents or the unnecessary use of excessive force.”

Pappas added that there “must be a full investigation of this incident, as well as common-sense oversight and guardrails put in place by Congress to prevent further senseless violence.”

Critics were quick to point out that Pappas, by his own admission, was prejudging the actions of the ICE agent before an investigation had been completed.

Republican Scott Brown, who is seeking his party’s nomination to challenge Pappas in November, said the Democrat’s response was expected.

(CREDIT: Jeffrey Hastings)

“Ten times out of 10, Congressman Pappas sides with extreme protesters over law enforcement, so this comes as no surprise,” Brown said. “While any loss of life is a tragedy, Congressman Pappas’ priorities are clear: left-wing protesters take precedence over police and other law enforcement.

“It’s also no surprise since he does not support qualified immunity for law enforcement.”

The doctrine of qualified immunity protects state and local officials, including law enforcement officers, from individual liability unless the official violated a clearly established constitutional right. Pappas voted for legislation to remove those protections from police officers.

Several New Hampshire Democrats seeking to replace Pappas in Congress went even further, calling for the abolition of ICE.

“I was the first NH-01 candidate in this race to make it abundantly clear that ICE must be fully abolished,” state Rep. Howard Heath (D-Strafford) posted on social media. “You can’t reform an agency built around cruelty that operates by racially profiling people and expect a just outcome.”

Sarah Chadzynski, another NH-01 candidate, released a video saying Good was “murdered at the hands of the president’s paramilitary ICE agents, a Gestapo force funded by our tax dollars. … Abolishing ICE isn’t enough. Congress must pass laws to stop Gestapo-style tactics in this country.”

Christian Urrutia also posted a statement, calling for ICE to be dismantled and for accountability within the agency.

“ICE — dismantle it. Those at ICE who have committed heinous offenses — prosecute them. Sec. Kristi Noem — remove her. She never should have been confirmed in the first place,” Urrutia wrote. “And we don’t need or want your ICE ‘warehouse’ in Merrimack,” a reference to rumors that the Trump administration plans to open a detention facility for illegal immigrants in the area.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Merrimack Town Hall during a regularly scheduled council meeting to wave signs and sing songs opposing any plan to open an ICE facility in the community. They also expressed anger over the shooting in Minnesota, with some protesters holding signs reading, “From Merrimack to Minneapolis, Stop ICE Terror.”

Among the participants was Karishma Manzur, who is challenging Pappas in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary.

“While we take action, Pappas remains silent,” Manzur posted. “This isn’t new. He consistently supported extreme immigration policies, including voting for the Laken Riley Act. These choices help create the conditions we’re seeing today. Voters have a responsibility to choose representatives who reflect our values.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.