Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) confirmed on Thursday that his office was “targeted” by a suspect “fueled by anti-ICE rhetoric” shortly after the fatal shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday.
In a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter, Van Orden shared a picture of a Toyota vehicle vandalized with anti-ICE messages. The messages included “F-ck I.C.E.” and “Your Turn.”
“Just hours after ICE officers were violently attacked in Minnesota yesterday, our Eau Claire office was targeted by an individual fueled by anti-ICE rhetoric—shouting slurs, pounding on our doors, and attempting to force his way inside,” the Wisconsin Republican wrote. “This is the direct result of Democrats’ violent rhetoric. It must stop now.”
A 37-year-old woman, identified as Renee Good, was fatally shot on Wednesday by an ICE agent in Minneapolis after allegedly weaponizing her vehicle and attempting to run over ICE agents when they approached her vehicle, which was blocking an ICE vehicle on the road. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump claimed that the ICE agent who fatally shot the 37-year-old woman appeared to have acted in self-defense.
While Trump administration officials have repeatedly confirmed that the shooting was carried out in self-defense and that the 37-year-old woman was attempting to run over law enforcement officials with her vehicle at the time of the shooting, anti-ICE protests have remained ongoing in Minneapolis and in other places across the country since Wednesday’s shooting.
READ MORE: Videos: ICE fatally shoots riot suspect who engaged in ‘act of domestic terrorism’
Following Wednesday’s fatal shooting in Minneapolis, Van Orden released a statement on social media, saying, “The REAL question you should be asking is ‘What would drive a 37-year-old suburban woman to violently attack federal law enforcement?'”
“Let’s be clear. This woman never had to die,” the Wisconsin lawmaker added. “The left’s constant demonization of our officers, calling them ‘American Gestapo’ and vile slurs, is brainwashing and fueling this type of radicalization.”
