Political commentator Bill O’Reilly on Monday warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials against increasing its use of violence in cities across the country following the fatal shooting of a woman in Minnesota last week.
NewsNation‘s Leland Vittert asked O‘Reilly if he believes ICE needs to change “its tactics.” The former Fox News host replied, “Absolutely. ICE needs to de-escalate.”
“If you’re in a position as an ICE agent where you feel deadly force may be necessary … OK, then you should pull back and assess where you are,” O‘Reilly continued. “That woman could have been arrested after the fact, easily after the fact … she didn’t have to be confronted with a guy cursing at her and screaming at her at that moment.”
“So, my advice to Kristi Noem and to the [Department of Homeland Security] in general would be, if it gets to a point where violence may break out, you have to de-escalate it, and that is in every single police manual in this country.” he told the “On Balance” host.
His analysis follows the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, a Minneapolis mother of three who was shot and killed after she attempted to drive away when asked by ICE to exit her vehicle. When she rolled the car forward, the officer fired into the car.
Some including O’Reilly have questioned the use of force undertaken by agents in Minnesota and Portland, where two additional individuals were shot during an immigration operation.
The move has also infuriated Democrats in both chambers of Congress, who have called for ICE to adopt new rules including a ban on face masks, requirements that officers produce warrants before making arrests and to ensure Border Patrol agents remain at the border.
The Trump administration, including Noem and President Trump, has maintained its position that the woman was acting as a “domestic terrorist” by attempting to use her car as a weapon and have defended the ICE officer as acting in self-defense.
Outraged citizens took to the street on Saturday and throughout the last week to protest immigration enforcement nationwide and denounce the broader push by the administration to crackdown on illegal immigration.
Minnesota has sued the administration over its operations, seeking to remove the officers from the state.
“Over the last week, we’ve seen federal agents arresting, threatening, and using force against innocent bystanders,” Gov. Tim Walz wrote in a post on social platform X. “They have carried out enforcement actions in schools, at hospitals, and in one horrific instance shot and killed someone.”
In a follow up post, the governor added, “this operation was never about safety, it’s a targeted political operation and Minnesota won’t stand for it.”