Recent Minneapolis Star Tribune headlines continue to feature Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining citizens, using pepper spray on protesters and even shooting U.S. citizens. Readers can follow the blow-by-blow and yet, President Trump and his sycophantic followers are asking people not to believe their own eyes. Trusting our own eyes and sense of morality is our civic duty.
In a supposed immigration enforcement action, Trump sent around 2,000 ICE agents to the Twin Cities. Minnesota is home to approximately 80,000 people of Somali descent, people whom Trump referred to as “garbage” in the wake of a social-services fraud scandal. By singling out the Somali community of Minnesota, Trump set the precedent for ICE agents to treat the residents of Minnesota with cold cruelty.
The presence of masked gunmen roving the streets and stopping people with impunity is meant to instill fear. ICE agents act like the Gestapo, demanding to “see your papers.” But this fear has gripped not only Minnesota. Fear is spreading across the U.S., fueled by an increasing distrust of those that are meant to protect us: our president, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and our law enforcement.
ICE agents use significant and unnecessary force, which has claimed the lives of immigrants and citizens alike, including the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Renee Good. Trump and members of his administration labeled Good a domestic terrorist who tried to run over an ICE agent with her car. However, the frame-by-frame analysis shows a different story: Good’s vehicle was actually turning away from the ICE agent, who shot an unarmed Good through her open driver’s side window. The disconnect between Trump’s and other government officials’ characterization of the event with our own understanding of the shooting creates distrust and fear.
Gregory Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol agent, said that these federal immigration operations in Minnesota were “lawful, targeted, and focused on individuals who pose a serious threat to this community.” They were not random or political, according to Bovino. For many Minnesotans, however, the actions of these ICE agents seem to be both. Who can seriously believe that a 5-year-old immigrant poses a threat to our community? The actions of ICE invalidate Bovino’s claims that the targets of ICE are those who pose a threat to the nation. The presence and unpredictable actions of ICE have created a new reality for citizens and immigrants alike. Operations are being paused. People cannot go to the grocery store, work or attend school out of fear that ICE will detain them.
On Friday, Jan. 23, Minnesotans chose to begin this pause together as businesses participated in “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom.” It was a collective shutdown: businesses closed operations and many Minnesota residents did not show up for work unless it was essential. It was a day of pause to be in community with one another. This day of economic blackout came at a time when the weather plunged deep into the negatives. Minnesotans braved the cold together and showed up in large numbers to protest. Just a day earlier, 200 clergy filled the streets of Minneapolis to search for and document the actions of ICE agents. They gathered in voice, sharing hymns and songs commonly known from the Civil Rights Movement. Minnesota’s crisis is not isolated; the Twin Cities have become ground zero for Trump’s war against immigrants.
Yet, gathering together is still dangerous and unpredictable. On Saturday, Jan. 24, ICE agents fatally shot another U.S. citizen ten times while already subdued by several other agents. Despite DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s claims that Alex Pretti was trying to “massacre” ICE agents, another frame-by-frame analysis shows Pretti being pushed down into a snowbank and pepper-sprayed by ICE agents. ICE agents stood over the subdued 37-year-old Pretti, a citizen and Minneapolis resident, and shot him at point-blank range in the back. Officers continued to shoot him while he lay motionless on the street. Unlike other law enforcement (who are trained to de-escalate), ICE is ramping up tensions by using brutal force. Trump has given them a political cover for their actions, and these agents do not fear being held accountable.
Minnesota sued the Trump administration in federal court for unconstitutional federal invasion. Ellison accused the Trump administration of specifically targeting Minnesota due to its political alignment. Many protestors are focused on getting ICE out of Minnesota, but it is not just Minnesota that has a problem. The whole country faces a clear and present danger.
These growing tensions prove that Trump chooses to believe that increased ICE presence is critical to the safety of our country. We need to trust what we see. ICE is coming for all of our cities, not just our blue cities. Understanding current events requires critical thinking, viewing and weighing evidence for ourselves. Thanks to bystanders, we can watch ICE agents snap under the pressure of deportation quotas and a false narrative about immigrants as dangerous criminals. When you look closely, you will see that ICE is creating countrywide fear, chaos and violence. You will see dishonesty and a stunning lack of accountability from the Trump administration.
As a Minnesotan, I choose to believe what I see with my own eyes.
