Lawsuit names Miller, Noem, Homan in alleged civil rights conspiracy
Two federal lawsuits filed on Thursday by the family of Renee Good — a 37-year-old US citizen and mother of three shot and killed by an ICE officer during a Minneapolis traffic stop in January — name the US government and several senior Trump administration officials as defendants.
Good was killed on January 7 by ICE officer Jonathan Ross during a major immigration sweep in Minneapolis, an event captured on widely circulated video. Her death sparked nationwide protests that intensified after another Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, was killed by immigration agents on January 24.
The first lawsuit, brought by Good’s brother Brent Ganger and her partner Becca Good, names the federal government as defendant and cites the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows citizens to sue the government for personal injury, death, or property damage caused by the negligence of federal employees. The suit alleges “battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence that caused Renee’s death.”
The complaint also claims the immigration operation created “an unprecedented environment for state-sponsored violence.” The BBC said it had contacted the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
The second lawsuit targets Ross, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House border chief Tom Homan, and others, alleging a “conspiracy to interfere with civil rights by senior federal officials, federal immigration enforcement agents, and private actors.”
The family’s lawyer, Antonio Romanucci, told the news conference: “Our government has become a grave and mortal threat to its own citizens.”
Becca Good spoke publicly for the first time since the shooting at Thursday’s news conference, saying: “The whole world had to watch as our entire universe was destroyed.” She added: “We were all robbed,” describing how the killing had affected the couple’s three children.
Good had recently moved to Minneapolis when she was killed. Witnesses disputed the immigration authorities’ account that she had attempted to attack officers.
Her brother, Brent Ganger, said at the news conference that “since her death no meaningful change has occurred.” He added: “Our family is waiting and we will wait no longer.”
President Donald Trump initially blamed Good’s actions for her death, saying just hours after the shooting that she “violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer.” Weeks later, he called her death a “tragedy” and said agents sometimes are “going to make a mistake.”
Good’s mother testified at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, saying: “I am a registered Republican. I voted for President Trump under the impression that these agents were here to protect the citizens of the United States.” She continued: “But far more than being a Republican, I am a Christian. Jesus teaches us to forgive and I have, but what we are asking for is accountability.”
Hundreds of federal agents were withdrawn from Minneapolis weeks after the two fatal shootings, and the official in charge of the operation, Greg Bovino, was removed from his post.
At least 10 people have been killed in encounters with immigration officers during Trump’s second term, which began in January 2025, according to the Associated Press.