Katelyn Wilburn, Campus Carrier opinions editor
Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman, was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Johnathan Ross. This occurred while she was in her car, trying to leave the area that the other ICE agents were commanding be cleared. While she was moving her car, Ross took her compliance as a threat, firing three shots at her and ultimately ending her life. This story sparked outcry across the nation, leaving people shocked and full of painful questions about her situation.
Unfortunately, Renee’s situation was not unique. Individuals across America suffer from the effects of unchecked ICE agents, which often include assault, unlawful raids and, for some, death. ICE agents continue to operate with expanding authority and minimal oversight, even when their actions turn deadly. In reality, ICE agents are not being held accountable for committing vile acts that go against American law, but they should be held to the highest standards within their line of work.
The current policy makers and enforcers aren’t holding ICE agents accountable when it comes to violence. Good’s death came through a system that didn’t serve immediate accountability. ICE operates with expansive authority and minimal public oversight, leaving their use of violence and enforcement tactics open to not only legal but also ethical questions. The rules that ICE agents are meant to follow are ambiguous and flimsy, making it easy to avoid accountability with a simple excuse. In this case, Ross implied deadly force was necessary because he believed
Good was attempting to run him over, using her vehicle as a deadly weapon. Ross’ perspective being framed as a self defense tactic is a cop-out to avoid facing a problem that he created with his aggressive enforcement tactics.
Even though Ross should be held accountable, there have been many attempts to cast blame on to other participants in this event. On the one hands, the Justice Department is reluctant to investigate the shooter, while on the other hand it is pushing to investigate Good’s grieving widow, Becca Good. How can this injustice be possible? It’s a raw illustration of how ICE and its overseers operate with impunity, leaving ordinary people to pay the price for mistakes the agency created. The current administration places millions of dollars into the hands of ICE agents, giving them free reign on their preferred method to deport others. If agents were being held accountable, then they wouldn’t commit violence like this.
So, in order for ICE to do their job in an ethical and lawful way, we have to demand real accountability and structural change, rather than swallowing cover-ups and excuses. This means ending the special legal protections that let ICE agents evade consequences for their overly excessive force. Removing qualified immunity will hold federal officers to the same standards as other law enforcement. This would give us a more transparent view of ICE’s actions. That way, if they introduce more violence into American society, they will be held accountable.
Truly independent oversight would reform ICE operations. Currently, when ICE agents use excessive force or break the law, investigations are typically handled internally or by their federal agencies. This leaves the public out of the loop on the legal proceedings, questioning if justice was given in the way it should have been. But if held accountable by an outside source, the agency’s behavior would change drastically, deterring the violent actions like to the shooting earlier this month.
Although there are a lot of big-picture discussions regarding this unfortunate scene, the most important step to helping end this violence is recognition. Good was shot by an ICE agent who called her a “f***ing b****” after ending her life. A woman was taken from her family and friends because the government refuses to make changes to prevent violence by law enforcement. Accepting the devastating circumstances that played out in this event can be difficult, but nonetheless, they are the first clue to finding that accountability we so desperately need ICE agents to hold.