by Karla Ciaglo
HARTFORD, CT — A candlelight vigil for Renee Nicole Good outside the Abraham Ribicoff Federal Building in Hartford drew hundreds Thursday night calling for accountability and changes to federal immigration enforcement after an ICE agent shot and killed her in Minneapolis earlier this week. The gathering was briefly disrupted by a confrontation behind the courthouse in which several protesters were pepper sprayed.
Good, a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, was shot and killed during an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota on Wednesday. Federal officials have said officers feared for their lives, but video of the incident has fueled protests nationwide and drawn criticism from civil rights groups and elected officials.
Signage at a protest in Hartford on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, against ICE for the killing of Renee Nicole Good. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CTNewsJunkie
In Hartford, advocates, clergy, labor leaders and community members said Good’s death reflected what they described as a broader pattern of aggressive federal immigration enforcement.
“Her citizenship status does not tie to her life’s value, but serves as a symbol that no one is safe,” said Lynn, who was identified by her first name only and is an organizer with Hartford Deportation Defense. “This is an immediate and urgent call to action.”
Lynn said that since January 2025 there have been more than 30 deaths in ICE custody nationwide, including multiple shootings by immigration agents.
“There is no choice but to organize, educate and learn how to protect each other,” she said.
About 30 minutes into the vigil, organizers reported a disturbance behind the courthouse along South Prospect Street. Witnesses said vehicles leaving the building’s parking garage moved into a group gathered near the rear of the courthouse.
According to accounts from those behind the courthouse, a gray sedan passed through the area, followed by a white van with New Hampshire license plates. A protester threw an object at the van, breaking a rear window, after which the vehicle stopped, and briefly reversed before continuing north on Prospect Street.
The incident occurred at the back of the building, while speakers and most attendees remained at the front of the courthouse. Event marshals assigned to the vigil moved to assess the situation and relayed information to organizers, who paused the program briefly and urged the crowd to remain calm.
“That’s not the approach we came here for tonight,” an organizer told the crowd over the public-address system. “We need to be in a place where we can use mass numbers to keep people safe.”
Signage at a protest in Hartford on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, against ICE for the killing of Renee Nicole Good. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CTNewsJunkie
After several minutes, the program resumed.
A Hartford police official said the vehicles were driven by agents with either ICE or Federal Protective Services, a law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The official said the person who was knocked down declined medical treatment and that no arrests were made.
As the vigil continued, speakers returned to calls for sustained organizing rather than a one-time protest.
Other speakers connected immigration enforcement, surveillance and what they described as broader systems of state violence, while urging coordination and restraint at local actions.
State lawmakers also criticized the killing. In a statement, Senate President Martin Looney, D- New Haven, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and members of the Senate Democratic caucus condemned the killing and blamed the Trump administration’s immigration policies for escalating violence nationwide. The senators said they would explore ways to hold federal authorities accountable at the state level when the legislative session begins.
In a post on X, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT wrote: “Renee Nicole Good was not obstructing ICE agents — she was not even a protestor. And yet, she is gone because of an excessive use of violence by ICE. Masked, armed ICE agents do not belong in our communities. Kristi Noem must be fired & ICE must leave our cities. The person who committed this crime must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
The Hartford vigil was one of several demonstrations held across Connecticut in response to Good’s killing. Organizers said additional actions are planned and emphasized that Thursday’s gathering was intended as the beginning of longer-term organizing rather than an endpoint.
The vigil was organized by a coalition that included the Connecticut Civil Liberties Defense Committee, the ACLU of Connecticut and Indivisible CT.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam released a statement late Thursday about both the shooting and the incident involving ICE vehicles at the rally.
“What happened at tonight’s vigil in Hartford is the direct result of the lawlessness and recklessness cultivated by the Trump administration over the past year, which culminated in the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis this week,” Arulampalam said. “It is imperative that anyone protesting do so peacefully and safely. We cannot give this administration the chaos it craves. But let no one mistake the cause of tonight’s conflict: federal agents have acted with impunity and a clear intent to antagonize local communities across our country. When you govern by brutality, you incite unrest.”
He said he directed Hartford police to investigate the vehicle strike “as we would any incident where a driver strikes a pedestrian,” adding that his administration would work with police and have more information to share as it becomes available.
“Unlike the Trump administration, we believe in laws, facts, and due process,” Arulampalam said.