In the wake of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, the National Education Association (NEA) and its “EdJustice” wing did not wait for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conclude its inquiry. Instead, the nation’s largest labor union immediately pivoted to an emotionally charged political campaign, using an unsettled tragedy to demand a total cessation of federal immigration enforcement near schools and the passage of partisan legislation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that the ICE agent involved acted in self-defense after asserting that a vehicle was used as a weapon . On the other hand, local officials like Mayor Jacob Frey have labeled that account as a “garbage narrative.”
The NEA has already reached their final verdict. In a mass email sent to me and thousands of others, they frame the incident not as a pending investigation, but as an established atrocity:
The murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis as she bravely stood witness to the assault on her immigrant neighbors this week by an ICE agent painfully punctuated months of abductions, harassment, intimidation, and racial profiling by federal forces occupying our cities.
By quickly labeling the event a “murder” and the presence of federal agents as “assault” and “occupation,” the NEA is not just sharing their supposed grief, they are creating a narrative of federally sponsored terror to justify radical policy proposals. It is unconscionable that a body of teachers whose job is to shape the minds of our nation’s youth is engaged in such deliberate propaganda. But it’s no surprise. This is par for the course for teachers unions.
The Legislative Agenda
The NEA email is not a call for a moment of silence; it is a call to legislative arms. The union is using the Minneapolis incident to drive support for specific, long-standing goals of the activist left:
- The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (S.455): The email clearly calls for members to “Urge your representatives to cosponsor the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act.” This bill aims to codify “safe zones,” which would bar federal agents from schools, hospitals, and places of worship, even if a fugitive or criminal suspect has fled there. In addition to occasionally needing access to apprehend escaping criminals, federal agents sometimes work with a school to ensure child safety. Yes, their job is to deport, but it also requires them to protect and keep track of the many unaccompanied minors who cross our border. Apparently, the safety of children clashes with the teachers unions open borders agenda.
- The “ICE Out for Good” Movement: The union is mobilizing members to “Find an ICE Out for Good Event near you,” a campaign that seeks the total removal of ICE’s presence from American communities. Similar to the defund/abolish the police movement, they are calling for a total abolishment of ICE.
- Local Defiance: The NEA is demanding that ICE “stay away from Minnesota schools,” and is encouraging local districts to ignore the Trump administration’s January 2025 rescission of “Protected Areas” policies, which gave federal agents the authority to carry out enforcement actions in previously restricted zones. In another irrational panic move, many Minnesota schools in city districts are cancelling in-person classes and giving students the option of remote learning for weeks in response to ICE activity, despite the lack of clear evidence that students are at risk. So much for prioritizing learning in our schools.
The NEA email also highlights an incident at Roosevelt High School, claiming that “ICE agents unleashed tear gas and violence on the campus, detaining two school staff who were following protocols to protect students.”
However, federal accounts and initial reports from news outlets, including the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, suggest a more complex reality. Border Patrol agents were reportedly pursuing a suspect in a high-speed chase that unfortunately ended near the school. While the union claims staff were just “protecting students,” federal officials allege that protesters “assaulted a Border Patrol agent” during the chaos. By omitting the context of the pursuit and the alleged assault on agents by possible staff members, the NEA paints a picture of unprovoked federal aggression to justify “sanctuary” protocols that could obstruct justice and defy federal law. They also failed to mention that students had already been dismissed from the school that day.
Perhaps most telling is the partisan vitriol found in the email’s conclusion. The NEA abandons the language of education entirely to adopt the rhetoric of left-wing revolutionary activism:
The MAGA regime is abducting our loved ones and murdering our neighbors in pursuit of endless power and money, attacking our freedom to seek a better life and come home safely to our families.
This is not the language of a “neutral” educational body, but rather a partisan organization that views the sitting federal government as an illegitimate “regime.” By accusing federal agents of seeking “endless power and money,” the NEA is engaging in the very “political theater” it claims to oppose.
Instead of advocating for transparency and waiting for the facts (which could include legitimate criticisms of federal tactics), the NEA has quickly chosen to weaponize the event. They are using the grief of a community to push for a “sanctuary” infrastructure that would effectively grant immunity from federal civil enforcement in all schools. For the NEA, a tragedy is a terrible thing to waste.
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Text of email from NEA:
Kali,
From Minneapolis and Charlotte to Chicago and Portland, our students, families, and educators are coming together to tell the Trump regime to end their assault on our communities. The murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis as she bravely stood witness to the assault on her immigrant neighbors this week by an ICE agent painfully punctuated months of abductions, harassment, intimidation, and racial profiling by federal forces occupying our cities. Hours after the murder, at a school two blocks away, ICE agents unleashed tear gas and violence on the campus, detaining two school staff who were following protocols to protect students. We demand that our leaders prioritize the safety, dignity, and civil rights of our communities. No matter where you live, you can take action to end ICE’s presence in every community across this country now:
Show Solidarity with Minnesota Families: Demand ICE Stay away from Minnesota schools
Turn Out this Weekend: Find an ICE Out for Good Event near you
Demand Safety for Our Students: Urge your representatives to cosponsor the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to protect schools\
The MAGA regime is abducting our loved ones and murdering our neighbors in pursuit of endless power and money, attacking our freedom to seek a better life and come home safely to our families. In the face of this violence, the brave of us are joining together to truly make this, the land of the free where all of our families are safe and whole—no exceptions.
In solidarity, The NEA EdJustice Team
