In the aftermath of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, a blunt warning from a Minnesota resident is racing across social media: don’t expect the National Guard to save you.
The warning, posted in a Reddit thread following the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, pushes back hard against the growing belief that Governor Tim Walz could deploy the Minnesota National Guard to rein in federal immigration agents. According to the post and hundreds of comments that followed, that belief is both naive and dangerous.
“No. The National Guard will not drive out ICE,” the original poster wrote. “Do not expect the NG to protect you or your interests during these current times.”
The thread emerged after Good was shot and fatally wounded by an ICE agent on a Minneapolis street during a confrontation caught on video. Federal officials claim Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon. City leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Governor Walz have publicly disputed that characterization, with Walz calling the federal narrative “propaganda” and demanding accountability.
Walz’s comments, and his refusal to echo federal talking points, sparked online calls for the state to deploy the National Guard as a counterweight to ICE’s expanded presence in the city. The Reddit post directly addresses those calls and shuts them down.
To the poster, the Guard’s role is clear and historically consistent: containment, not protection.
“If deployed, the NG will go on to ‘keep the peace’ among demonstrators by sitting on the sidelines,” the post reads, “letting demonstrators watch from a distance as ICE keeps doing what they’ve been doing.”
That sentiment was echoed by other commenters. One of the most widely shared replies summed it up in four words:
“They protect property.”
Another user, identifying themselves as a National Guard member, confirmed the limitation outright: “We would not be ordered to counteract ICE.”
Others pointed to history. One commenter referenced the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, where the Guard assisted police in corralling and isolating protesters rather than challenging federal or state authority.
Several commenters warned that the Guard would be deployed not to restrain ICE, but to prevent protesters from interfering with federal agents, effectively forming a human buffer that protects enforcement operations while restricting public dissent.
No Protection at Protests
The core warning of the thread is aimed squarely at Minnesotans considering protest.
According to the post, the Guard’s presence would not deter ICE activity or prevent further violence. Instead, it would raise the stakes for demonstrators, who could face curfews, mass arrests, or prolonged detention if protests escalate or are deemed disruptive.
“They will keep the protests chained enough to not get too out of hand,” the post states, “so that you can still watch injustices happen in front of you.”
Several users also pointed out a hard legal reality: even if Walz wanted to deploy the Guard against ICE, the president could federalize it instantly.
“If the governor ordered the National Guard to do anything against the federal government,” they would be instantly taken out of his control and into the hands of the president.”
Others went further, arguing that any attempt by the state to forcibly oppose ICE could be framed as insurrection, potentially triggering even greater federal intervention.
Anger, fear, and a widening divide
The shooting of Renee Good has reignited memories of George Floyd’s murder just miles away, but many commenters argue this moment feels different. Floyd’s death exposed systemic problems in local policing. Good’s killing, they say, represents something broader: lethal force exercised by a federal agency in public, during a domestic operation.
“This isn’t just a MN problem, this is an American problem.”
Despite the anger, some voices in the thread urged restraint, warning that violent confrontation could hand political leverage to the Trump administration and justify harsher crackdowns. Others rejected that logic entirely, arguing that ICE has already crossed a line that peaceful behavior cannot uncross.
What unites the thread, however, is its central message: Minnesota citizens should not assume the National Guard is a shield.
