Renee Nicole Good’s mother has revealed that she voted for Donald Trump in 2024 because of his immigration promises.
Donna Ganger, mother of the 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in January, made the revelation at a public forum for families of ICE victims on Tuesday.
An emotional Ganger, who has a listed address in the small Kansas town of Valley Falls, told the group she was a registered Republican and voted for Trump because she believed ICE agents would protect American citizens from terrorists.
“I’m a registered Republican. I voted for President Trump under the impression that these agents were here to protect the citizens of the United States, innocents, like our family, and the others here, against terrorists, certainly not to accuse those of us here of being terrorists and take precious lives,” she said. “This is madness.”
Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Robert Garcia of California led Tuesday’s forum. Among the other participants were the families of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Ruben Ray Martinez, as well as Stella Carlson, who recorded the fatal shooting of VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was also gunned down by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis.
Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on Jan. 7 during a protest of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.”
The mother of three was in her car when Ross fired three shots into her vehicle, striking her in the forearm, breast, and the left temple. Good’s death was ruled a homicide by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner.
The administration claimed that Good had attempted to run over ICE officers with her vehicle, with top officials, including Vice President JD Vance and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, labeling her as a “domestic terrorist” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Pretti, also 37, was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis two weeks later, prompting further outrage over the administration’s violent tactics.
The operation was shut down shortly after his death, with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan stepping in to take over the reins from Border Patrol “commander-at-large” Gregory Bovino.
“It is our instinct and our honor to protect our children,” Ganger said Tuesday. “Fast forward to today, and it is torture that, as her mom and as a family, we could not protect Renee. But no one can protect against others who are determined to disregard our country’s constitutional rules and values. That is what happened on January 7.”
Ganger described her family as a “very American blend,” saying that though they may vote differently, they “love each other deeply.”
Ganger also said that, as a Christian, she knows how to forgive but still demand change.
“The prayers and the words of support have truly brought us comfort. It is meaningful that these statements have come from people of all colors, all faiths, and all ideals. That’s the perfect reflection of Renee,” she said. “But thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need action. We need accountability.”
Trump, 80, had previously described both Good’s and Pretti’s deaths at the hands of ICE agents as “terrible,” but said that Good’s was “worse” because her parents were “big Trump fans.”
