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LAST UPDATE | 16 Jan
IRISH JOURNALIST NIALL Stanage drew an angry response from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday after he was asked for his opinion about what led to the killing of Renee Good, who was shot dead by an immigration enforcement agent in Minnesota last week.
At a press briefing, Stanage, who is a reporter with The Hill in Washington DC, asked Leavitt to explain a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had said members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) were doing “everything correctly”.
Stanage then pointed out that 32 people died in ICE custody last year and that the agency had detained 170 US citizens, as well as mentioning the killing of Renee Good at the hands of an ICE agent.
“How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?” Stanage asked.
Leavitt did not answer the question and instead posed one of her own, saying:
“Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?”
Stanage responded by asking if the press secretary wanted his opinion, which she said she did, before answering:
“Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably.”
Leavitt then said, “Oh, ok, so you’re a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion”, to which Stanage responded by saying, “What do you want me to do? You asked my opinion.”
Leavitt continued: “You’re a left-wing hack, you’re not a reporter, you’re posing as a journalist and it’s so clear by the premise of your question. And you, and the people in the media, who have such biases but fake like you’re a journalist, you shouldn’t even be sitting in that seat.”
Leavitt accused Stanage of “pretending” to be a journalist, labelling him “a left-wing activist” and saying he should be reporting on “the facts”.
“What was inaccurate about what I said?” Stanage asked.
Incidentally, anti-trans campaigner Riley Gaines, who is not a journalist, was seated at the same press conference and was welcomed by Leavitt personally. Leavitt also invited Gaines to ask the first question at the briefing.
Stanage has received support from fellow journalists since the clash with Leavitt.
Mehdi Hassan of Zeteo said Stanage was “a great journalist asking important questions, something not enough people do that WH briefing room”.
LEAVITT: Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 15, 2026
REPORTER: Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably
LEAVITT: Oh, ok. So you're a biased reporters with a biased opinion. You're a left-wing hack. pic.twitter.com/HVyLptX3D7
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to invoke an emergency law that allows the domestic deployment of the military in response to anti-ICE protests.
Protesters have denounced the violence of the immigration raids in rallies in Minneapolis, a Democratic stronghold.
Federal agents have fired their weapons in at least two separate incidents, wounding a man from Venezuela on Wednesday and killing Renee Good last week.
The Insurrection Act allows a president sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act to suppress “armed rebellion” or “domestic violence” and use the armed forces “as he considers necessary” to enforce the 19th century law.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE, who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump warned on Truth Social.
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accused federal agents of waging “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota,” in a video posted to X Wednesday night.
In the short clip, Walz noted a number of violent incidents, including “breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street,” and the Good as examples.
“We must protest loudly, urgently, but also peacefully,” Walz said, calling on Trump and Noem to “end this occupation.”
Walz also urged people to record any interaction they may have with ICE for future prosecution.
Minnesota will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, and of peace. pic.twitter.com/cUz9Tm5Tur
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 15, 2026
Kristi Noem told reporters at a White House press briefing yesterday that it’s up to Trump if he decides to invoke the law.
Demonstrations against ICE in Minneapolis have stretched into the night in recent days and protesters have clashed with federal agents while attempting to protect their neighbours.
Federal agents have deployed pepper spray and tear gas to disperse crowds.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooting late Wednesday resulted from a struggle between an ICE agent and a man he was trying to apprehend.
“During the struggle, the federal agent discharged his weapon, striking one adult male,” O’Hara told a press conference.
Amid the tussle, two people emerged from a nearby residence and attacked the federal agent with a snow shovel and a broom handle, the Department of Homeland Security said, identifying the wounded man as an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.
The man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg and was taken to hospital, while the two others were taken into custody, officials said.
The Insurrection Act was last invoked in 1992 by President George HW Bush at the request of the Republican governor of California, who was facing unprecedented riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of police officers who had beaten Rodney King, a Black motorist, the previous year.
Senior White House official Stephen Miller has accused Minnesota officials of “deliberately, willfully and purposefully” inciting a “violent insurrection.”
Karoline Leavitt has also lashed out at journalists, saying “media is absolutely complicit in this violence.”
But concerns about the tactics used by ICE are not limited to incidents of violent street enforcement and have raised questions about inadequate training and oversight of agents.
Mexican authorities said yesterday they were also seeking details about the death of one of their citizens at an ICE facility in the southern state of Georgia this week.
With reporting from AFP
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