When Due Process Fails: Virginia LULAC on Federal Overreach, Minnesota incident, and the Laken Riley Act

January 10, 2026

On January 7, 2026, 37-year-old Renée Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota during a large federal immigration enforcement operation. Ms. Good was in her vehicle near the scene when several ICE agents approached her. According to multiple news reports and available video evidence, she attempted to drive away from the situation but was shot by an ICE officer despite not posing an immediate threat.

Federal officials, including the Department of Homeland Security, initially justified the shooting as self-defense, claiming Ms. Good’s vehicle had been used as a weapon. That account has been widely disputed by eyewitnesses, local officials, video footage, and civil-rights leaders, all of whom contend that she posed no clear danger at the time she was shot. The incident triggered widespread local and national outcry, protests in Minneapolis and other cities, and demands for transparency and accountability amid concerns over the lack of an independent public review of the federal investigation.

This killing occurred during what federal authorities described as one of the largest immigration enforcement operations in U.S. history and has reignited a national debate over the scope of ICE’s authority, the standards governing the use of force, and the urgent need for oversight, training, and constitutional protections in federal enforcement actions.

Virginia LULAC views the Laken Riley Act as a direct precursor to the events that unfolded in Minnesota. The Act dramatically expands federal enforcement authority while weakening long-standing protections rooted in due process, proportionality, and civilian oversight. In doing so, it creates an enforcement environment where large-scale operations are encouraged, discretion is broadened, and accountability mechanisms are weakened. When due process is removed, checks and balances collapse.

Enacted in January 2025, the Laken Riley Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain certain non-U.S. nationals based on arrest or accusation for a broad range of offenses. Under this framework, individuals may be detained without conviction, meaningful individualized review, or traditional judicial safeguards. The law also grants states expanded authority to challenge federal immigration decisions, further politicizing enforcement and incentivizing aggressive federal action.

Taken together, these expanded powers and reduced safeguards foster a culture in which enforcement actions escalate rapidly, restraint is deprioritized, and the risk of tragic and irreversible outcomes—such as the killing of Renée Nicole Good—increases significantly.

Concerns Regarding the Laken Riley Act:

Rather than strengthening constitutional protections, the Act mandates detention based on accusation alone, circumventing the role of law, expands the circumstances under which ICE must take custody, and limits opportunities for judicial review or individualized consideration, even when no conviction has occurred. This removal of safeguards that historically required warrants, bond hearings, and case-by-case evaluation significantly increases the risk of aggressive and militarized enforcement actions in everyday communities.

We now see the Laken Riley Act has made American citizens victims of the abuse of power by expanding federal enforcement authority while weakening long-standing rights and protections. 

The Laken Riley Act lowers the check for federal intervention and encourages ICE and other federal agents to shoot first and ask questions later. This erosion of accountability makes mistaken identity, excessive force, and fatal outcomes more likely — particularly when agents operate with minimal transparency and unclear standards for the use of force in dense urban American cities.

With the provocation of everyday Americans in major cities, abuses of power, such as the unnecessary killing of this U.S. citizen, are becoming alarmingly normalized. This raises serious questions about whether ICE and similar federal forces are properly trained for armed operations in civilian, urban settings, and whether their presence is necessary or wanted by local governments and residents.

City officials did not request or require the routine presence of federal enforcement or militarized units in their neighborhoods. These deployments represent an unnecessary and dangerous militarization of American cities. When laws grant sweeping power without clear guardrails, abuse becomes regular, freedoms are limited, and citizens become fearful of enforcement meant to protect everyone.

Call to Congressional Action:

Virginia LULAC calls on Congress to immediately repeal or substantially amend the Laken Riley Act to restore meaningful limits on federal enforcement power and to re-center due process as a non-negotiable principle of American democracy.

We demand that the Virginia members of Congress who supported this legislation, Congressman Eugene Vindman, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, and U.S. Senator Mark Warner take responsibility by introducing and sponsoring corrective legislation that restricts ICE and other federal agencies from operating with unchecked authority in American communities. We demand repeal or substantial amendment of the Laken Riley Act.

This is an opportunity to acknowledge error, correct course, and reaffirm a commitment to constitutional governance, civilian safety, and the protection of human life.

Demand for Accountability:

The Executive Branch is not permitted to act as judge, jury, and executioner. They must act within the powers that are expressly given to them by the people, not the ones they force upon us. The executive branch does not possess the moral or constitutional authority to deprive American citizens of their lives without due process of law.

This principle is foundational to our democracy and is precisely why the Founding Fathers separated power into three co-equal branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. When enforcement agencies operate without meaningful oversight or restraint, the rule of law erodes and constitutional order breaks down.

Law Enforcement Agency's Accountability:

Virginia LULAC stands with law enforcement; law enforcement plays a critical role in keeping our communities safe and deserves support when officers act professionally, ethically, and with respect for all people. At the same time, law enforcement must operate under the strictest adherence to constitutional protections, accountability, and the highest standards of training. Public safety cannot and must not come at the expense of civil liberties, constitutional rights, or basic human dignity. When law enforcement officers fail to demonstrate restraint or fail to effectively de-escalate tense situations, that is a failure of training and oversight — not merely an isolated incident.

Law enforcement agencies should be encouraged and supported to expand investments in de-escalation training, crisis intervention training, and other best practices that help officers avoid unnecessary force and reduce harm to both the public and to officers themselves. Federal efforts such as the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act demonstrate the importance of structured, scenario-based training in alternatives to the use of force and response to mental and behavioral health crises.

If an event like this — where lethal force is used in circumstances that raise serious questions — occurs again, it underscores the need for continuous improvement in training, tolerance, de-escalation skills, and accountability mechanisms. Should events like this occur and each and every time it does, then officers in that force, department, or office, should automatically have to undergo trainings tailored on de-escalation and accountability metrics. Officers who have sworn an oath to serve and protect must continue to receive comprehensive, ongoing training and be held to the highest standards of professionalism. When due process and the rule of law are not upheld in an enforcement action, we all lose trust in the institutions meant to protect us.

Mandatory De-Escalation and Accountability Training:

We further call for a national standard that requires law enforcement officers, agencies, and federal enforcement units to undergo immediate and recurring de-escalation and accountability training each time a serious use-of-force incident occurs. De-escalation training teaches officers how to slow down confrontational situations, improve communication, enhance decision-making, and reduce the need for physical force — all of which contribute to safer outcomes for both civilians and officers.

Should events like this occur — and each and every time they do — officers within the department, force, or agency involved should automatically be required to complete comprehensive, scenario-based training focused on de-escalation, implicit bias awareness, and accountability measures. This type of training is recognized at the federal level as a key component of modern policing practice and is supported by national de-escalation training resources and frameworks.

Requiring training after each serious use-of-force incident helps ensure that:

• officers reinforce best practices for minimizing harm,

• agencies adopt lessons learned from real events into policy and practice, and

• communities can regain confidence that those who enforce the law are consistently improving their ability to protect everyone.

This training requirement should be part of a broader framework of accountability and transparency, so that agencies cannot simply rely on outdated or minimal instruction but must demonstrate that lessons were learned and applied before returning to duty.

Public safety cannot and must not come at the expense of civil liberties, constitutional protections, or basic human dignity. A government that abandons restraint abandons justice and truth.

When accountability fails, when oversight disappears, and when enforcement becomes militarized, the result is not justice — it is state-sanctioned violence.

Virginia LULAC stands firm in defense of civil rights, constitutional protections, and the safety of all communities. We demand accountability, reform, and immediate action to ensure that no more lives are lost to reckless and unjust government overreach.

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About Virginia LULAC

Virginia LULAC is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.

Contact:

virginialulacofficial@gmail.com | valulac.org