Matt Damon delivered a fierce condemnation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, while attending the New York premiere of his new streaming movie, The Rip, calling the agency’s actions “incredibly alarming” following a fatal shooting in Minneapolis.
The tragic incident involves the death of Renee Good, a mother who was shot and killed during an encounter with an ICE officer just last week. Since the shooting, protests have erupted in Minneapolis and across the entire country. Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have also openly criticized the actions of the ICE officer involved.
Damon didn’t hold back when explaining his concern. He showed up to the event wearing a “Be Good” pin in protest of the shooting, making it clear that citizens need immediate answers about the agency’s behavior.
“Yeah, I mean, I think that that incident was incredibly alarming. I think a lot of people are on edge and worried about this and paying very close attention and really worried about this type of behavior out in our streets and the lack of training that we’re reading about and hearing about with some of these people who are going out there.”
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Damon thinks this goes beyond standard operational procedure and mentioned that he had spoken with people he knows in law enforcement who were equally critical of the officer’s actions. As a former law enforcement officer myself, I wouldn’t have reached and don’t know anyone who would jump to killing before using an avenue of escape, which is what we are taught to do. Lethal force is only justified by law enforcement if there is no other option to save lives.
“Clearly, you know, I’ve heard from a lot of friends in law enforcement that that was not the way they would have handled the situation,” he continued. Damon stressed that this issue requires public discussion, saying, “I think as concerned citizens, we need to be talking about this and talking about what kind of country we want to live in.”
Damon isn’t alone in his public display of protest. The “Be Good” pins have become a symbol of celebrity solidarity against the agency’s actions and were highly visible at the recent Golden Globes ceremony.
You saw major stars stepping out on the red carpet wearing pins with slogans that read either “Be Good” or “ICE Out”, ” including Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, and Natasha Lyonne, showing a widespread concern within the entertainment community about the violence and the lack of accountability.
Comedian Wanda Sykes offered one of the strongest statements on the red carpet, tying the pin directly to the victim and demanding action. She was very clear about the gravity of the situation.
“Of course, this is for the mother who was murdered by an ICE agent, and it’s really sad. I know people are out marching and all today, and we need to speak up. We need to be out there and shut this rogue government down, because it’s just awful what they’re doing to people.”
Whether the words of celebrities mean much in the grand scale of things remains to be seen.
Published: Jan 19, 2026 05:56 am