Protesters in Austin demand justice for woman fatally shot by ICE in Minneapolis

AUSTIN - Demonstrators gathered outside of Austin City Hall on Saturday to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in cities across the country and to demand justice for Renee Good. 

ICE protesters demand justice

What they're saying:

"I was so sickened," said Nadia Cone, one of the protesters. "It's just so tragic what happened to Renee Good."

"She had a heart and a whistle," said protester Ali Hanson. "They had guns. She was in a car with two hands. You could see she had no weapon, and they shot her three times in the head."

Fatal ICE shooting

The backstory:

Renee Good was fatally shot inside of her vehicle during ICE operations in Minneapolis on Wednesday. 

Good was 37 years old. The mother of three has been described by her family and friends as a poet, a singer, a Christian, and above all, kind. 

But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized Good as a domestic terrorist attempting to ram officers with her car, saying the ICE agent acted in self-defense to protect himself and others. 

Footage has since been released calling that story into question. 

"Don't let your brain rot, because Kristi Noem and these other people are telling you what your own eyes are telling you," said Hanson. "You can see it. She's not a terrorist."

Texas leaders speak out

Speaking at Saturday's Rally, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) characterized Noem's description of the events in Minneapolis as propaganda and lies, saying that she's endangering the country by creating a culture of impunity at the federal level. 

"We cannot bring Renee Good back, no matter how much we would like to," said Casar. "We cannot fix this with a vote in Congress tomorrow, because the Republican majority there supports the killing in Minneapolis, or at least are willing to defend it or be complicit in it, and we cannot wait here in despair. We cannot do nothing. We cannot fall into hopelessness."

Casar urged protesters to continue to show up and make their voices heard, to demand the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Noem as well as the end of what he called the Trump Administration's mass deportation machine, and to talk to others in the community and encourage them to get out and vote. 

And Casar said he'll do what he can to fix the country's immigration system by advocating for a speedy path to citizenship for immigrants who have been here working and contributing to communities across the U.S.

Protesters encourage others

In the meantime, demonstrators say they'll continue to speak out until things change, and encourage others to do the same.

"Millions of people think 'I'm just one person, I can't do anything,' but if we all band together, we can make a huge, huge difference," said protester Shannon Steidel. 

Saturday's protest in Austin is just one of thousands of protests that broke out across the country following the events that took place in Minneapolis earlier this week.