JD Vance Claims ICE Agent Has 'Absolute Immunity' In Minneapolis Shooting, Legal Experts Disagree

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis is protected by “absolute immunity,” a claim that legal experts say overstates the protections federal officers receive under U.S. law.

Speaking at the White House, Vance argued that Minnesota prosecutors would be unable to bring criminal charges because the shooting occurred during a federal law enforcement action.

"The precedent here is very simple," Vance said. "You have a federal law enforcement official engaging in federal law enforcement action. That’s a federal issue. That guy is protected by absolute immunity. He was doing his job. I’ve never seen anything like that. It would get tossed out by a judge."

That claim is inaccurate, according to legal experts, who say federal officers are not entitled to absolute immunity as a matter of law.

Federal law enforcement officers do have broad legal protections when acting in the course of their official duties, and the Justice Department has taken a hard line against state efforts to arrest or prosecute federal agents. Late last year, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said arrests of federal officers performing their duties would be “illegal and futile,” citing the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and federal law.

But legal experts say those protections are significant but not absolute. The Supremacy Clause does not provide blanket immunity, and federal agents can still face criminal liability if prosecutors determine they acted unlawfully or outside their authority.

Local prosecutors said they have jurisdiction but stressed the process is ongoing. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said investigators are still gathering facts and that charging decisions would come later, if at all. “The bottom line is yes, we have jurisdiction,” he said.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.