Leaders from major liberal Jewish movements condemned what they said was violent federal immigration enforcement, calling on the Trump administration to uphold due process and investigate the killing of Renee Good.
Leaders of the Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish movements signed a “cross-denominational statement” on Jan. 21 condemning “in the strongest terms, the violence with which the Department of Homeland Security is enforcing American immigration law.”
The signatories noted that American Jews “cherish our own families’ immigration stories” and “recall that, like many being expelled from America today, we or our ancestors came to this country to escape oppression and find opportunity.”
“We grieve an American promise that seems to be no more,” they said.
The signatories called on law enforcement to avoid escalating confrontations and urged accountability, including officer vetting and training and “investigating complaints fairly, transparently and impartially.”
The signatories referred to Good, 37, who was killed on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, using a Hebrew acronym that means “may her memory be a blessing” and cited a biblical verse about pursuing justice to say that “the law must be enforced through a fair process.”
The department says that a federal agent, who fired on Good, feared for his life as she drove her car at him. Good’s family is considering suing the federal government.
