How a killing in the US and Trump's lies could affect a change of power in Congress
Events have been unfolding in the United States in recent days that could grow into a real social and political crisis and strike at one of the key domestic programmes promoted by Donald Trump.
The trigger for these events was the death or, as many believe, the killing of 37-year-old Rene Nicole Goode by law enforcement officers. She was shot on a street in Minneapolis by an officer of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Read more about the incident and its possible consequences for Trump in the article by Olha Kovalchuk, a European Pravda journalist: A killing with millions of witnesses: how events in Minnesota could become a ‘Black Swan’ for Trump.
On 7 January, US media reported a shooting in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the federal government’s version, an ICE agent fired "defensive shots" when the driver of a car allegedly attempted to run over an officer.
It later became known that the victim was 37-year-old Rene Nicole Goode, a US citizen, writer and poet (a fact American media are now emphasising very actively), and the mother of three children. She had never been accused of any crimes other than traffic violations.
The woman was not a migrant and clearly should not have been a target of an immigration enforcement raid. CBS notes that she had the status of an "observer," a volunteer who had the right to monitor ICE activities.
Several local residents witnessed ICE’s actions, recorded them on their phones, and later posted the videos on social media.
The videos have led many to claim that ICE is lying and that President Trump is lying as well because there are no signs in the footage that the killed woman posed any danger.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also rejected the federal government’s self-defence version, effectively accusing the central authorities of lying about the events.
It should be noted that the state of Minnesota, and Minneapolis in particular, is more of a "blue" area, where voters in the last several presidential elections have supported Democratic candidates.
Walz himself was the Democratic candidate for vice president in the 2024 presidential election, running alongside Kamala Harris.
An even harsher reaction came from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who also denied the federal government’s version and ordered ICE agents to stop operating in the city, choosing rather blunt wording to do so.
"Get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here," he said.
Another Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, compared ICE agents to occupiers.
This new wave of outrage over the aggressive actions of the immigration service potentially poses risks for the Trump administration.
First, these events are likely to affect the US midterm elections to Congress scheduled for November, and the ICE scandal could weaken the positions of the "reds" (Republicans).
This is especially true given that statements by government officials and Trump personally about "self-defence" and "a threat to the lives" of immigration officers are being refuted by numerous videos and eyewitness accounts.
Second, Trump risks repeating the scenario of his unsuccessful confrontations with local authorities represented by Democratic mayors and governors.
And third, spontaneous protests against ICE’s actions and their impunity have already taken place in various cities across the country. Further actions by the agency in the event of new incidents could well lead to another escalation in an already tense and deeply divided American society.