Trump voter whose daughter was killed by ICE says she expected agents to target ‘terrorists,’ not innocents

Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis in January, and top Trump administration officials quickly branded the 37-year-old a domestic terrorist. Her mother, Donna Ganger, has now told lawmakers she voted for Donald Trump believing his agents would go after real terrorists, not families like hers, as reported by CBS News.

Ganger spoke Tuesday at a Capitol Hill forum on deadly shootings by federal immigration agents, hosted by Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia. The two lawmakers said they invited Republican colleagues, but none of them came. Ganger told the room she is a registered Republican and described her family as one that votes differently but loves deeply.

“I voted for President Trump under the impression that these agents were here to protect the citizens of the United States,” Donna Ganger said in the interview. She said she never expected them to “accuse those of us here of being terrorists and take precious lives.” She finished her statement by calling the killing of her daughter madness and said her daughter should still be alive.

Though she has forgiven, the family still wants accountability

Furthermore, Ganger stated, “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 also continued by saying her Christian faith matters even more to her than her party. She said she has forgiven, as Jesus teaches forgiveness, but the family is asking for accountability. She also thanked people around the world for their prayers and support.

Renee Good was a U.S. citizen acting as a legal observer of federal immigration operations, and city leaders have said she was not a target for arrest. ICE officer Jonathan Ross fired three shots as she began driving forward after another agent ordered her out of her SUV. The Department of Homeland Security claimed she drove at agents, and federal officials said Ross acted in self-defense. However, her family and Minnesota officials have disputed that account. 

Trump said in January that he “felt horribly” about the shooting and that ICE is going to be “too rough with somebody” at times. Not everyone close to Renee Good has blamed the agents. Her former father-in-law said in January that he did not blame ICE for her death. He urged protesters to turn away from anger and focus on prayer instead. At this moment, Ross has not been charged, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is still investigating the shooting.