When Enforcement Becomes Killing
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“The destruction of a single life is as if one destroyed an entire world.” — Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
Too often these days, the “news” breaks our hearts.
Yesterday, an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot and killed wife and mother, Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation.1 Video footage shows officers escalating a roadside encounter in seconds: commands shouted, a door grabbed, a weapon raised, shots fired. A life ended. Bystanders screamed. A city reeled.
Federal officials called it self-defense. The mayor called it reckless. What is beyond dispute is this: Renee Nicole Good is dead because immigration enforcement has come to resemble a battlefield rather than a civic responsibility.
This was not an accident. It was a foreseeable outcome of a system that treats migration as a threat rather than a human condition, and enforcement as domination rather than care. This killing in Minneapolis marks a dramatic escalation in an already brutal pattern—at least the fifth death linked to immigration crackdowns in recent years. Each one leaves behind grief, fear, and a widening sense that something essential has been lost.
Across faith traditions, the treatment of the stranger is not a marginal concern. It is a moral measure.
In the Hebrew scriptures, the command is repeated with urgency: You shall not oppress the stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger. In Islam, the protection of human life stands above nearly every other obligation. In Christian teaching, hospitality to the outsider is not charity; it is recognition of shared dignity. Indigenous traditions speak of kinship that precedes borders. Buddhism warns of the suffering created when fear governs action.
What we are witnessing now is what happens when fear is institutionalized.
When enforcement becomes militarized, judgment collapses into reflex. When people are reduced to targets, the possibility of restraint disappears. When a system is designed to move fast, to overwhelm, to dominate, death becomes not a failure but a risk casually accepted.
This is not law and order. It is yet one more moral rupture.
It places an unbearable burden not only on migrants and communities, but on those tasked with carrying out these policies. Systems that reward aggression and punish restraint deform everyone inside them. Violence spreads outward and inward at the same time.
For people of faith, this moment asks of us more than outrage. It demands clarity.
Clarity that a person’s life cannot be collateral damage in the pursuit of policy.
Clarity that public safety cannot be built on terror.
Clarity that borders do not erase humanity.
We must, all of us, see this clearly: a nation that responds to migration with lethal force has lost its way.
And yet, even after all the trauma we are absorbing, I must encourage us. Faith refuses despair.
Faith insists that heartbreak is not the end of moral responsibility—it is often the beginning. It calls us to grieve fully, to name what has gone wrong, and to labor for a different way. Not a naïve way. A human one.
This murder in Minneapolis should stop us. It should shake us awake. It should force us to ask what we have accepted as normal…and at what cost.
If we are to become a people worthy of the values we claim, this path must change.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What emotions arise in you as you sit with this story—grief, anger, fear, exhaustion? Where do you feel them in your body?
How has fear shaped public conversations about immigration in your community or country?
What would a humane, life-preserving approach to migration require us to change—structurally, morally, and personally?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For the Lives Caught in the System
Holy Source of life and dignity, We grieve a life lost to fear and force. We grieve the family now left with questions, the witnesses who cannot unsee what they saw, and the communities made less safe by violence done in the name of order. Hold those who are terrified tonight— those hiding, those fleeing, those uncertain if tomorrow will bring safety or harm. Hold also those trapped inside systems that teach them to act without seeing. Break open our hearts where they have hardened. Sharpen our conscience where it has dulled. Give us courage to demand policies rooted in care, and patience to build systems that protect life rather than destroy it. May we become people who choose restraint over domination, compassion over cruelty, and justice over fear. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Refusing to Look Away
Today, choose one intentional act of moral attention.
Read one first-person account from a migrant or refugee organization.
Watch the Minneapolis video only if you can do so with care—and stop when you need to.
Say the name of the city and the loss aloud.
Then ask yourself: What does it mean to remain human in the face of this?
If possible, support an organization providing legal aid, sanctuary, or accompaniment to migrants. If you cannot give money, give attention. If you cannot act publicly, act faithfully.
Refusing to look away is not passive. It is the first step toward repair.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
January 15, 2026, 7-8pm EST - FREE Online Webinar: When the Internet Hurts: The Hidden Online Dangers Facing Our Teens and How Faith Communities Can Respond, Join me in conversation with Sharon Winkler, survivor parent and nationally respected youth online-safety advocate. Sharon’s son, Alex, died at age 17 after experiencing cyberbullying and algorithmically targeted pro-suicide content. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her life to helping parents, educators, and faith leaders recognize online dangers and build safer communities for young people. Register here.
NEW!!!! February 5, 2026 - Margaret Wheatley and and I are launching a new online course called “Leading with Spirit,” a six-session journey into soul-grounded leadership designed to deepen your trust in guidance, nurture perseverance, and rekindle imaginal wisdom for our fractured world. Take a look at the course outline. We are really excited and hope you can join! Scholarship are available if needed. Learn more here!
February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
Scholar and teacher, Vanessa Muchado de Oliveira Andreotti, has been developing an extraordinary body of work on meta-relational AI. I’d encourage you to do a deep-dive here: https://burnoutfromhumans.net/ She has also written two books that I think are required reading - Hospicing Modernity and Outgrowing Modernity. Check them out!
Have you discovered Dr. Stacey Patton yet? Buckle your seatbelt! She is an award-winning journalist and professor who is offering a powerful public lecture series called “Manifest Delusion.” Learn more here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-shooting-crackdown-surge-173e00fa7388054e98c3b5b9417c1e5a
“Faith insists that heartbreak is not the end of moral responsibility—it is often the beginning. It calls us to grieve fully, to name what has gone wrong, and to labor for a different way. Not a naïve way. A human one.” Thank you. I’m not sure “how to labor for a different way”other than to begin with prayer… I appreciated the one you shared in addition to your suggestions. 🕊️🙏💞
Heartbreaking…..
I agree our grief should motivate us to “labor for a different way.” Jesus showed us a better way to love and live. May we have the courage to embrace it and advocate for it. Not through more violence but through strategic ways that honor each person and unify us. When we succumb to violence we have become what they want us to be and then they can justify their actions.