The killing of Renee Nicole Macklin Good during an ICE enforcement operation in Minneapolis on January 7 has ripped the scab off a raw national wound: the endless politicization of law enforcement encounters. Americans deserve facts, not outrage theater, yet within hours the left and much of the mainstream press had already pronounced guilt and framed the ICE agent as a murderer. Video that has emerged tells a more complicated story — a vehicle moving into an active federal operation, an officer placed between a car and an enforcement line, and frantic seconds that ended in tragedy. Facts matter, and the rush to judgment by those who profit politically from chaos is shameful.
On cable panels this week, a CNN appearance turned into a lesson in common sense when Republican commentator Scott Jennings corrected former NYPD lieutenant Darrin Porcher on the sequence of events. Jennings bluntly laid out what multiple officials and footage indicate: this was not a random passerby, there were people deliberately interfering with the ICE operation, commands were given, and contact was made with the officer. Conservatives do not celebrate death, but we will not let political activists and opportunistic pundits rewrite reality to shield reckless behavior that endangers officers and the public. If someone drives into a law enforcement scene, that is not civil disobedience — it is obstruction and potentially a crime.
The most infuriating response has been the reflexive sympathy extended to anyone who opposes federal enforcement simply because the victim fits a politically convenient narrative. Minneapolis is not a neutral stage for activists to ambush federal agents; it is a city where law and order must be respected. When local officials and some in the media leap to conclusions and attack the agent before a thorough review, they embolden those who would harass and obstruct enforcement operations. That moral equivalence is a threat to the rule of law and to the safety of ordinary citizens who deserve their neighborhoods to be free from confrontations.
At the same time, conservatives must demand a full, transparent investigation — not a cover-up or a partisan exoneration. The FBI now leads the inquiry, and questions about access to evidence and proper procedure deserve answers. But accountability should cut both ways: if the video and witness accounts show an officer was truly endangered and acted in defense of colleagues, we will defend that agent; if misconduct occurred, it must be exposed and punished. The left’s weaponization of every tragedy to score political points cheapens genuine calls for justice.
It is telling that activists have rallied and high-profile law firms have been brought in while certain officials rushed to declare the agent guilty. That is the playbook: create outrage, raise money, and use emotion to drown out sober analysis. Americans should reject that script and insist on due process for all — including federal agents who face dangerous conditions and civilians who may have acted recklessly. Our nation cannot function when mob sentiment replaces careful fact-finding.
Finally, to those hardworking patriots watching these events unfold: stand for the truth and for law and order. Demand that investigators release the facts, resist the urge to pick a side based solely on political identity, and remember that defending our institutions does not mean condoning mistakes, nor does demanding accountability mean abandoning support for those who keep our communities safe. The memory of Renee Good deserves honesty, not exploitation, and our country deserves leaders who will soberly seek justice instead of stoking division.
