House Judiciary Chair Cuts Off Testimony After Advocate Names Renee Good

Chair Nguyen repeatedly interrupted Rural Arizona Action representative during testimony on police pursuit bill

Hugo Polanco, advocate for Rural Arizona Action, giving testimony during Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee meeting / Screenshot.

PHOENIX — House Judiciary Committee Chair Quang Nguyen cut off a representative of Rural Arizona Action mid-testimony on Wednesday after he named Renee Good, the woman shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis last week.

Hugo Polanco was testifying against HB 2108, a bill to increase penalties for fleeing police, when Chair Nguyen interrupted him and demanded he stop referencing the murder of Good. Polanco continued his testimony professionally. Nguyen interrupted again.

Video of the testimony shows a calm, on-topic presentation—not a breach of decorum.

Notably, just two days earlier, Republican lawmakers held a press conference at the same Capitol where they invoked the Renee Good shooting to justify legislation increasing penalties for obstructing ICE. Senate President Warren Petersen said, "We've seen some tragedies recently—tragedies that could be avoided if people would simply just follow the law." When Republicans cite Renee Good to support their bills, it's legitimate. When an opponent mentions her name, it's "breaking decorum."

"I was cut off for saying Renee Good's name," said Polanco. "I was explaining why rural communities are scared—why people flee when they see law enforcement. The Chair didn't want the committee to hear it."

"Fear makes people flee. That's human. That's the point we were making," Polanco said. "But Chair Nguyen didn't want to hear about why people are afraid. He wanted to pass a bill in silence."

The testimony Chair Nguyen didn't want you to hear:

Polanco's testimony noted that tensions between law enforcement and immigrant communities are at a breaking point. He cited the Cochise County sheriff's million-dollar federal grant for deportation operations and the expansion of 287(g) agreements that blur the line between local police and ICE. He explained that when people see law enforcement, they don't know if it's police, ICE, or someone impersonating officers to prey on them.

"This bill sends the wrong message at the wrong time," Polanco testified. "Rural Arizona needs de-escalation, not harsher penalties."

Rural Arizona Action calls on Chair Nguyen to allow full public testimony on HB 2108.

"Chair Nguyen is pushing a bill about interactions with police while silencing testimony about interactions with police," said Antonio Ramirez, Political and Policy Director at Rural Arizona Action. "He doesn't want Arizonans to hear what's actually happening in our communities. That's not democracy. That's abuse of power."

HB 2108 would create new Class 4 and Class 2 felony categories for fleeing police, on top of existing law that already makes it a Class 5 felony.

Rural Arizona Action is releasing a video of the full testimony later today. Arizonans can watch and judge for themselves whether this testimony deserved to be silenced.

About Rural Arizona Action: Rural Arizona Action is an organization focused on rural economic development and community wellbeing in Arizona.

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