Protest against ICE in Minneapolis after agent shooting
Protests against President Donald Trump and his waves of immigration enforcement actions swept Minneapolis over the fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good.
Billionaire Bill Ackman is one of more than 8,000 people who have donated to an unverified online fundraiser to support the federal immigration agent who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week.
As of the evening of Jan. 13, a GoFundMe campaign created by Clyde Emmons had raised more than $660,000 including a $10,000 donation from the hedge fund billionaire. Another $10,000 anonymous donation also topped the list. Created Jan. 9, the fundraiser aims to aid the potential legal defense of Jonathan Ross, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal officer based in Minnesota.
In a statement posted Jan. 13 on X, Ackman said over the years he has invested “substantial funds providing for the legal defense of individuals that I believe are innocent” and decided to support Ross because he knew “he would need significant funds to cover his defense costs.”
The billionaire said he attempted to donate to Good’s GoFundMe page but that contributions had already met the campaign’s $1.5 million goal.
The fundraiser for Ross has not yet been verified as of Jan. 12, according to GoFundMe.
Who is Bill Ackman? Why did he donate to Ross’ GoFundMe?
Ackman is the 59-year-old founder of Pershing Square Capital Management. As of Jan. 12, his net worth was nearly $9.3 billion, according to Forbes.
The billionaire said his intention in supporting Ross and attempting to support Good was “not to make a political statement.”
“I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense,” he said. “I strongly believe that only a detailed forensic investigation by experts and a deep understanding of the law that applies will enable us to determine whether Ross is guilty of murder.”
Ackman admitted that he “did not do any due diligence” regarding the incident a apart from “quickly reviewing the handful of videos” circulating online. He had also considered the option of donating anonymously, but thought his public support would “more easily raise the funds needed for (Ross’s) defense.”
“One day, you may find yourself accused of a crime you did not commit without the financial resources needed to defend yourself,” he said on X. “You and your family will pray that someone will be open to believing you are innocent and will be willing to help you pay for your defense.”
Who created fundraiser to help Jonathan Ross?
Emmons, who created the GoFundMe campaign for Ross, said he is from Mount Forest, Michigan, and wrote on the page that he created it to help Ross. Ross is a U.S. Army veteran with deployments to Iraq and years of experience, records obtained by USA TODAY show.
“I feel that the officer that was 1000 percent justified in the shooting deserves to have a go fund me,” Emmons, who said he does not know Ross personally, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Funds will go to help him.”
Good’s death, captured on video by witnesses, sparked protests and condemnation from local and state officials who refuted the Trump administration’s assertion that the agent acted in self-defense.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and local leaders have called for ICE to leave both the city and the state.
“The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city and making our community less safe,” Frey released in a statement the same day of the fatal shooting. “We are demanding that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand by our immigrant and refugee communities – know that you have our full support.”
Although the GoFundMe page for Ross has yet to be verified, GoFundMe told USA TODAY on Jan. 12 that the company is “currently reviewing” all fundraisers related to the Minneapolis shooting and “working to gather additional information from the organizer of this fundraiser.”
During the review process, the Redwood City, California-based company wrote in a statement, all funds “remain safely held by our payment processors.”
“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with a violent crime,” the statement continues. “Any campaigns that violate this policy will be removed.”
Has Jonathan Ross been arrested?
Some lawmakers have called for Ross’ arrest, but as of early Jan. 12 no charges had been filed in the case that has garnered national attention.
As of Jan. 12, the Department of Justice had not announced whether it will bring charges and, statements by White House officials opposing charges make a federal prosecution appear highly unlikely.
“When you have the president, the vice president, the secretary of homeland security all saying that this was self-defense, there’s zero chance that Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice will move forward with a prosecution at the federal level,” Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told USA TODAY.
Contributing: Aysha Bagchi
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
