Moulton Compares ICE Shooting To Boston Massacre, Calls For Prosecution

SALEM, MA — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton compared last week's fatal ICE agent shooting of a Minnesota mother in Minneapolis to the Boston Massacre as the Senate candidate joined a chorus of Massachusetts Democrats on Capitol Hill calling for the prosecution and ability to sue immigration agents accused of breaking the law.

Moulton said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should be held personally accountable for what he called "aggressive and illicit tactics and other law enforcement agencies, which contributed to the murder of Renee Nicole Good.

"ICE killed an American citizen, and the ICE agent who shot her multiple times from the side as she tried to drive away should be prosecuted, just as I've called for every ICE agent who breaks the law to be prosecuted," Moulton said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

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Moulton last month introduced what he called the NOEM Act, which eliminates immunity for federal agents and would allow them to be sued in the same manner as local law enforcement officers charged with breaking the law.

"Secretary Kristi Noem bears responsibility for cultivating this lawlessness under her showboat leadership of the Department of Homeland Security," Moulton said. "The fact that she immediately condoned shooting an unarmed American mother of three in a public street is disqualifying alone. It is the job of Congress to prosecute her, through impeachment or other options, and remove her from office. She is a disgrace to patriotic, law-abiding American citizens like Renee.

"Massachusetts remembers the Boston Massacre when state-sponsored troops of the man who wanted to be America's king shot civilians in a public street, and that tragedy echoes in Minnesota today."

Vice President J.D. Vance is among the Washington Republicans saying that the shooting was justified given that Good was interfering with and threatening federal agents, saying "I stand with ICE" and that Good's death was "a tragedy of her own making."

Sen. Ed Markey, whom Moulton is challenging in next year's Democratic primary, and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley also announced on Tuesday the introduction of the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026 that would grant victims the right to sue federal law enforcement officers — not just state and local officials — for civil rights violations, and abolish the defense of qualified immunity in these suits.

They said the expanded legislation would "help deliver accountability for families abused by law enforcement, including ICE agents."

"When masked ICE agents are allowed to kill and harm people with impunity, we have crossed a dangerous threshold in our nation," Markey said. "All too often, the flawed and judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity shields law enforcement officers from liability, even when they commit egregious misconduct or use excessive force.

"The Qualified Immunity Abolition Act abolishes this unjust defense in cases against federal law enforcement officers, allowing victims to vindicate their rights in court. With ICE agents trampling over our laws, our rights, and our communities, we must demand justice and hold wrongdoers accountable."

"We cannot stand idly by while rogue federal agents — emboldened by the Trump White House —ravage our communities, brutalize families, and kill our neighbors on the street in cold blood," Rep. Pressley said. "Our bill sends a powerful message to everyone in America — citizen or not — that when ICE agents break the law, they should and will be held accountable."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)