Taking a Scalp

Stephen Miller got his trophy.

On Halloween, the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, who reportedly is in charge of immigration policy, appeared on Fox News. Host Will

Cain asked Miller under what federal authority the Trump administration could arrest Pritzker if the governor tried to arrest ICE agents.

“To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties,” Miller said. “And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony.”

ICE officers thereby were given a "get out of jail free" card. And on January 7, 2026, one emboldened immigration agent decided to take advantage of Miller's largesse.

Of course, this would be legitimate were Renee Nicole Good attempting to stop the officer or trying to obstruct him. This does not appear to have occurred.

One officer approached the driver's side of the car and may have yelled for Good to get out of the car. Another officer was moving from the front passenger side to the front driver's side, whereupon the motorist steered clockwise, away from the officer, who then fired the fatal shot. Former FBI supervisor Rob

D’Amico said the officer’s attempt to open the door may have distracted the woman, causing her not to notice the other officer in front of the vehicle, and that better training could have helped prevent the situation.

“It reminds me of a time that one of the first arrests I went out in Miami, I actually got in front of a vehicle, and my supervisor grabbed me after, and I think he was pretty strict with me. He said, ‘Look, people don’t block vehicles. Vehicles block vehicles,’” he recounted. “Don’t put yourself in a situation where you then have to employ deadly force if that vehicle comes at you, because, one, you’re not going to stop it. You’re going to get hit no matter what.”

Horrible, foolish police work, in which authorities escalate rather than de-escalate a situation, is not necessarily illegal, but it is very important. Few if any in the government (of course) or the media seem interested in the motive of the three ICE officers who approached Good's vehicle. They might find out that that the motorist was partially blocking the roadway and that good police work would entail approaching the vehicle in an unthreating manner and ordering the motorist to leave the area. 

The purpose, presumably, would be to clear the area, which Good was trying to do as she began to drive away. And if that was not the aim of the officers, law enforcement was even more irresponsible than the appears from the video.

Apprised of this incident, Stephen Miller's heart leapt. So did J.D. Vance's heart, and that of Donald Trump. Jesus wept.

 

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