Special to the Journal
Following the horrific ICE murder of Renee Good, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) announced the introduction of the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026. The Qualified Immunity Abolition Act builds on the lawmakers’ prior work by granting victims the right to sue federal law enforcement officers—not just state and local—for civil rights violations and abolishing the defense of qualified immunity in these suits. The expanded legislation would help deliver accountability for families abused by law enforcement, including ICE agents.
Congresswoman Pressley delivered a floor speech on the need to end qualified immunity for federal law enforcement, including immigration officers. Watch the floor speech here.
In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, the lawmakers introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act to eliminate the court-invented doctrine of qualified immunity that shields government officials from civil liability for misconduct. On Wednesday, a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis, Minnesota—just blocks away from the site of Floyd’s murder in 2020.
“We cannot stand idly by while rogue federal agents—emboldened by the Trump White House—ravage our communities, brutalize families, and kill our neighbors on the street in cold blood,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “Our bill sends a powerful message to everyone in America—citizen or not—that when ICE agents break the law, they should and will be held accountable. For Renee Good, Keith Porter, Nenko Gantchev, and every death at the hands of federal law enforcement, Congress must end qualified immunity.”
“When masked ICE agents are allowed to kill and harm people with impunity, we have crossed a dangerous threshold in our nation,” said Senator Markey. “All too often, the flawed and judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity shields law enforcement officers from liability, even when they commit egregious misconduct or use excessive force. The Qualified Immunity Abolition Act abolishes this unjust defense in cases against federal law enforcement officers, allowing victims to vindicate their rights in court. With ICE agents trampling over our laws, our rights, and our communities, we must demand justice and hold wrongdoers accountable.”
Text of the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026 is available online at pressley.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Pressley-Qualified-Immunity-Bill.pdf.
Transcript: Rep. Pressley’s Floor Speech on Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026
“Mr. Speaker,
I rise in defense of communities across America terrorized by the dangerous, rogue, and violent actions perpetrated by ICE agents.
Millions have seen the videos of ICE shooting and killing Renee Good, a poet and mother who was unarmed and trying to drive away.
Following her tragic death at the hands of law enforcement, Republicans rushed to deny the truth and smear the victim—a playbook that has been employed frequently, especially against the Black community.
Now, the White House is claiming that ICE agents have immunity from lawsuits. Enough.
That’s why I’ve reintroduced my bill to end qualified immunity to hold federal agents accountable for breaking the law and killing our neighbors.
This bill is for Renee Good and so many others.
Like Keith Porter, a proud girl dad, who was killed by an ICE agent in Los Angeles.
And Nenko Gantchev from Chicago who died in ICE custody after living in the United States for 30 years.
This bill is for every person in America, citizen or not, to know that when ICE agents break the law they should be held accountable.
For the families of these victims, Congress must end qualified immunity.”
The Supreme Court invented the judicial doctrine of qualified immunity to prevent government officials from being held personally liable in court for misconduct, including for violations of constitutional rights. Congress never intended to shield public officials from this type of liability. In its passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, Congress expressly allowed individuals to sue government officials, including law enforcement officers, who violate their civil rights. In the past few decades, federal courts have gutted this landmark civil rights law by creating and then expanding the defense of qualified immunity.
Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey have been leading the charge to abolish qualified immunity for law enforcement. Last May, ahead of the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Senator Markey and Representative Pressley introduced the Ending Qualified Immunity Act. Representative Pressley and Senator Markey originally introduced the bill in June 2020 along with then-Congressman Justin Amash (I-MI) following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement.
Rep. Pressley is also the author of the People’s Justice Guarantee, a comprehensive, decarceration-focused resolution that outlines a framework for a fair, equitable and just legal system.
