Vice President JD Vance challenged Democrats on Thursday morning to explain whether a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis was "wrong in defending his life."
The vice president posed the question on X and called on the media to press Democratic lawmakers and candidates on the issue.
"Every congressional democrat and every democrat who's running for president should be asked a simple question: Do you think this officer was wrong in defending his life against a deranged leftist who tried to run him over?"
"These people are going to try to arrest our law enforcement for doing their jobs. The least the media could do is ask them about it," Vance wrote.
NOEM ALLEGES WOMAN KILLED IN ICE SHOOTING 'STALKING AND IMPEDING' AGENTS ALL DAY
Chaos erupted in Minnesota on Wednesday after an ICE officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Good tried to "weaponize her vehicle" and "attempted to run a law enforcement officer over." She also accused Good of "stalking and impeding" federal agents all day. Noem told reporters that Good had been instructed to get out of her car and stop "obstructing" law enforcement, but she did not comply.
The agency is labeling the incident as an act of "domestic terrorism."
On Thursday, in a separate post on X, Vance expanded on his defense of the officer's actions, slamming critics for engaging in "gaslighting." The post was made in response to comments from Jenin Younes, the national legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who argued that the officer was not in danger and had time to get out of Good's way. Vance said Younes' arguments were "preposterous."
"The gaslighting is off the charts, and I'm having none of it. This guy was doing his job. She tried to stop him from doing his job. When he approached her car, she tried to hit him," Vance wrote. "A tragedy? Absolutely. But a tragedy that falls on this woman and all of the radicals who teach people that immigration is the one type of law that rioters are allowed to interfere with."
DEMOCRATS LOOK AT DEFUNDING ICE, IMPEACHING NOEM AFTER MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING
Several Democratic lawmakers, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and several others, have slammed ICE in the wake of the shooting.
In a news conference immediately after the fatal shooting, Frey told ICE to "get the f--- out" of the city and rejected DHS' claim that the shooting happened in self-defense, calling it "garbage." The mayor also claimed ICE was "creating the kind of dysfunction and chaos that they claimed to be trying to help with."
"Get the f--- out of Minneapolis," Frey said. "We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt, families are being ripped apart."
Walz also rejected DHS's statement on the shooting, dismissing the agency as a "propaganda machine."
During a news conference, the governor vowed the state would "seek accountability and justice" following the shooting. He also rejected further assistance from the federal government, calling out President Donald Trump and Noem by name during a news conference on Wednesday. The governor then announced that he had issued a warning order to the National Guard and that members were prepared for deployment if and when necessary.
WALZ PREPARES NATIONAL GUARD AFTER WOMAN KILLED IN ICE OPERATION: 'NEVER BEEN AT WAR' WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Omar, a fierce critic of ICE, took to social media to slam the agency, saying that the officer's actions were "unconscionable and reprehensible."
"I am beyond outraged that their reckless, callous actions led to the killing of a legal observer in Minneapolis. My heart breaks for the victim's family, who will have to forever live with the pain caused by the Trump administration's reckless and deadly actions," Omar wrote. "This administration has shown, yet again, that it does not care about the safety of Minnesotans... This is not law enforcement. It is state violence. It is simply indefensible, and ICE must be held accountable."
Klobuchar, who is reportedly considering a run for Minnesota governor after Walz dropped his bid for a third term, said the shooting was "the result of the administration sending federal agents onto our streets against the wishes of local law enforcement."
"While our immigration enforcement should be focused on apprehending and prosecuting violent criminals to make our communities safer, these ICE actions are doing the opposite and making our state less safe," the senator added.
Several Democrat lawmakers from outside Minnesota have also weighed in. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called the shooting "absolutely horrific" and accused multiple Trump administration officials, including the president, of lying about the incident. Additionally, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused the ICE officer of committing murder.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
