TAMPA, Fla. — A deadly shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis has ignited passionate responses across Tampa Bay, with local activists and supporters offering starkly different perspectives on the role of federal immigration enforcement.
Watch report from Jada Williams at the protests in Tampa
On January 7th, an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good during an operation in Minneapolis. Video from the scene shows Good behind the wheel of an SUV, appearing to block the road as federal agents shouted demands. She backed up, then pulled forward toward agents standing in front of her vehicle before an agent fired through the windshield.
The White House said the shooting was justified because the agent feared for his life. Minnesota officials say they have been blocked from investigating by the FBI.
The shooting has sparked reactions in communities across the country, including Tampa Bay, where the Tampa Bay Immigrant Rights Coalition held a press conference demanding accountability.
Sophia Mavronasios, a member of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, said the incident reinforces her belief that ICE serves an important safety function.
"I am first generation American. My family immigrated here from Greece, so I'm definitely a staunch supporter and proponent of immigration, vetted and controlled and legal," Mavronasios said. "Asking for ICE to be removed from cities is similar to the huge radical protests of defund the police. That is not safe for citizens."
Mavronasios said she believes calls to abolish ICE stem from fear and misinformation.
"A lot of people are scared. They know people maybe that are here illegally, and they're trying to protect them in their own way," she said. "But the people that came here illegally do know the ramifications of that as well."
Leo Gonzalez from the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Tampa Bay Immigrant Solidarity Network offered a sharply different perspective.
"We have seen the terror that ICE is inflicting in the communities," Gonzalez said. "What happened yesterday is just the tip of the iceberg. We saw that poor woman just being murdered, just for being a legal observer."
Gonzalez, who also conducts legal observation of ICE operations, said the shooting felt personal.
"You kind of put yourself in that situation like that could happen to any of us," he said. "Renee wasn't an immigrant. She was a US citizen that wanted to help immigrants, just like many others in the United States."
Mavronasios also cited economic factors in her support for immigration enforcement.
"A lot of these illegal migrants also get benefits that tax paying American families really need," she said. "From the perspective of an American citizen, I pay my taxes. I was born here. Why is another mouth taking from mine when my family is going to sleep hungry?"
Gonzalez disputed claims that immigrants are responsible for economic hardships.
"The rent is not high because of immigrants. The price of groceries is not high because of immigrants," he said. "It is those in power that keep those prices high."
Gonzalez announced continued demonstrations, including protests at Tampa City Hall and at a Hilton Hotel in St. Petersburg where ICE is reportedly holding a conference.
"People are mad. They're afraid. It is our legal duty to protest," he said. "Keep recording, keep holding them accountable and keep the fight on."
However, Mavronasios believes handling immigration in the country is on the up and up.
"I think it's getting better, you know. I think that a lot of these ICE raids are unfortunately required to make sure that people are not in this country who are not supposed to be," she said. "It should be a privilege to be an American citizen, and it should be something that's enforced."
The Department of Homeland Security announced what it calls historic progress in immigration enforcement, reporting that more than 2.5 million people in the country illegally have left the United States in the past year.
Since January 20, 2025, DHS enforcement operations have resulted in more than 605,000 deportations, according to the agency. DHS said it has prioritized removing individuals with criminal records as part of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts.
The department also reported that 1.9 million people have voluntarily self-deported since January 2025.
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