When Fabiola, a single mother and naturalized U.S. citizen from Latin America, first learned about the fatal shooting in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent killed Rene Goode, she said she was heartbroken and terrified, Reuters reports today.
She then joined thousands of other Minnesotans who volunteered to monitor the movements of ICE agents after Goode was killed – despite fear for herself and her seven-year-old son, Asher.
"I feel fear, but at the same time I know I have to worry about my people too," she said.
Activists say they have been inundated with new volunteers – despite the possibility of violence – since Goode was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
Federal agents killed another Minneapolis resident today, the second person since the administration of US President Donald Trump sent 3.000 immigration enforcement officers to the city.
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Fabiola, who has lived in the US for 20 years and owns a construction company, never knew Good.
Good, a mother of three, was fatally shot on January 7 when she stopped her car during an immigration raid, just a few blocks from Fabiola's home.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to requests for comment about the risks to bystanders in Minnesota, but officials say federal agents shoot when they fear for their own lives.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials described the protesters and observers as "anti-ICE" and "far-left" agitators.
What if something happens to me?
Fabiola and Asher now blow their whistles when they spot immigration agents on their way to school. She taught Asher how to recognize federal agents by their uniforms and made him memorize his grandparents' phone numbers, in case she was detained.
Fabiola, who declined to give her last name for fear of reprisals, has also started delivering food to people afraid to leave their homes. She also regularly visits the makeshift memorial to Renee Goode.
"She has children, and her children don't have a mother now. If something happens to me, where will my boy end up?" Fabiola said.
US Vice President JD Vance said during a visit to Minneapolis on Thursday that Goode tried to hit Ross with her car. Analysis of bystander footage by Reuters and other media outlets showed that Goode's wheels were facing away from Ross and that his legs were out of the path of the vehicle when he fired.
At least five organizations offer training on how to monitor ICE actions, how to alert immigrants to their presence, and document the use of force on detainees and protesters.
Online training sessions for one of those groups reach a maximum capacity of 1.000 participants within a few hours, said Kate Wegener, an immigration attorney who runs the trainings.
"We were afraid that interest would decline after her death, but the opposite happened," she said.
Safety tips are usually shared at training sessions: stay at least eight feet (2,44 meters) away from federal agents, obey police orders, and keep your distance when driving behind a convoy of agents.
Some observers are acutely aware of the risks. Janet, a Minneapolis suburb resident who declined to give her last name for fear of "doxing" (the deliberate public release of someone's personal information without their consent, with the aim of intimidating, harassing or endangering that person), said she had written letters to friends and family to be opened if she were killed.
Minnesota authorities at the state and local levels have encouraged bystanders. Governor Tim Walz urged citizens to take out their phones and film federal agents.
The spotters, often recognizable by their fluorescent green vests and whistles around their necks, have become an increasingly common sight on busy streets and in residential neighborhoods when heavily armed, masked federal agents in tactical gear are deployed.
Community resistance has had some effect. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino said Wednesday that the city presents a "difficult operating environment" for agents.
Organizers compare the level of engagement to the wave of activism following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
"I woke up somehow"
Recently, two new volunteers, a married couple, stood on their bicycles at a busy intersection, watching for ICE agents. Snow gathered on their jackets, frost clung to their eyelashes.
"I kind of woke up when Renee Goode was killed – I knew bad things were happening, but I didn't realize how bad they were. And then it happened and it was clear: it was time to do something," said Aaron, a 41-year-old marketing employee who declined to give his last name for fear of reprisals.
He said he adjusted his six-mile (9,66-kilometer) run that morning to pass through neighborhoods where residents had reported an ICE presence near schools.
Opposing immigration actions carries risks. Observers have been subjected to tear gas and arrests. State authorities said Friday they were collecting arrest data, but it was not yet available.
"Disruption of work"
For Patti O'Keefe, a 36-year-old NGO worker, these risks further emphasize the importance of observers.
"They wouldn't be trying so hard to intimidate us and spending all those resources if we weren't actually successful in disrupting their operations or slowing them down," O'Keefe said.
Earlier this month, while she was following ICE agents in a car, she says five federal agents smashed her car window, handcuffed her and threw her into an unmarked SUV. She said ICE agents photographed her, verbally abused her and held her for eight hours in a detention center in Minneapolis before she was released without charge.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment about her testimony, and Reuters was unable to independently determine exactly what happened.
O'Keefe says he now struggles with anxiety – but will continue to volunteer.
"I'm just stubborn and I don't want to give in to fear," she said.
Many residents speak of Renee Goode with respect, describing her as an inspiration.
On the street where she was killed, dozens of people, despite the dangerously low temperatures, came to add flowers, stuffed animals and electric candles that shone through the snow at a makeshift memorial.
"She gave her life for us. Her soul is in heaven and she is protecting us," Fabiola said.
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