On 7 January, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents opened fire on Renee Goode, killing her. To be honest, I wanted to write a post on just how sad and terrifying this murder was. How wrong it is that ICE agents are targeting opposition-led cities and using brutal tactics against people suspected of being in the US illegally and protesters, including clergy who take part in protests. How unjustified it was that an ICE agent fired three times at someone who did not present any threat to him (see this good breakdown by a former FBI agent). How predictable it was that this happened, considering the demonization of immigrants and protesters by this administration.
But you can find these opinions all over the internet, so we didn’t need more of them here. Instead, I wanted to talk about one specific aspect of this tragedy that overlaps with my expertise: the (I will argue failed) attempt by the Trump administration to brand Goode a domestic terrorist.
Almost immediately after the murder, the Trump administration claimed this was an act of domestic terrorism. They claimed Goode attempted to run down federal agents as part of a broader campaign against Trump’s vicious anti-immigrant policies.
Whether or not Trump officials really believed this, it’s obvious what they thought would happen. The term “terrorism” is emotionally charged. It conjures shadowy threats to America that require drastic steps to counter. If Goode was a domestic terrorist, it would be much...
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