Ben Cohen, co‑founder of Ben & Jerry’s, urged that ICE be "defunded and disbanded" after two fatal Minneapolis shootings involving federal immigration agents. He said he scrapped an ice‑cream tribute for Renee Nicole Good after the killing of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, whose death was captured on video and is the subject of witness accounts. Cohen described federal agents as a "masked militarized force," called for returning immigration duties to the pre‑2003 INS, and criticized politicians who cite Christian values while backing aggressive immigration enforcement.
Ben & Jerry’s Co‑Founder Urges ICE To Be 'Defunded And Disbanded' After Two Fatal Minneapolis Shootings
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder, Ben Cohen, said he initially planned to create an ice cream honoring Renee Nicole Good but that he did not have it in him after the killing of Alex Pretti.(Getty Images)
Ben & Jerry’s co‑founder Ben Cohen has called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be “defunded and disbanded” following two fatal shootings this month in Minneapolis that involved federal immigration agents.
Cohen said he had planned to create a special ice cream to honor 37‑year‑old Renee Nicole Good, who was shot and killed on Jan. 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. He abandoned that plan after another Minneapolis shooting in which 37‑year‑old Alex Pretti, an intensive‑care nurse, was fatally shot during immigration enforcement activity.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen called for ICE to be "defunded and disbanded."
According to video and witness accounts, Pretti appeared to be attempting to assist a woman who had been knocked down when he was sprayed with an irritant, pushed to the ground and struck. Footage later shows an agent removing Pretti’s legally owned handgun from his waistband before other agents fired multiple shots, killing him.
“I was prepared to make a special ice cream today to memorialize and celebrate the life of Renee Good, but now that Alex’s murder makes it clear that the murder of Renee and the government’s lies were not a mistake but standard operating procedure, I just don’t have it within me,” Cohen said in a video posted to X.
Cohen warned that the incidents reflect a broader pattern of aggressive federal enforcement. He said: “We all live in Minneapolis now, because Minneapolis is only the beginning of what they have in mind. They’re coming for anyone, anywhere who doesn’t submit,” and described agents as a “brazen, arrogant, masked militarized force loyal only to Trump and immune from prosecution.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen asserted that people in the U.S. must "submit" to the Trump administration or risk being killed by federal agents.
He also argued the climate risks First Amendment freedoms, adding: “Submit or be murdered. Video them and be murdered. Protest and be murdered, or at least be placed on a list of domestic terrorists and investigated.”
Cohen called for dismantling ICE and returning immigration responsibilities to the pre‑2003 Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which he said operated under the Department of Justice: “ICE must be defunded and disbanded… Before 2001, ICE did not even exist… Let’s go back to that.”
He additionally criticized politicians who invoke Christian values while supporting aggressive immigration enforcement, quoting scripture: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me… Love thy neighbor… What you do to the least of these you do to me.”
Cohen’s remarks come amid public outrage and renewed debate over federal immigration enforcement practices, oversight, and use of force. Authorities are continuing investigations into both Minneapolis incidents.
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