ICE immigration enforcement raids have heavily intensified in Minneapolis over the past few weeks. After the fatal shootings of United States citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, mass protests have erupted, with tens of thousands in attendance, demanding that ICE leave the city. This pushback has been met by Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to use military force to subdue protests and resistance. Minnesota has since deployed the National Guard for the people of Minneapolis on January 23rd.
According to The Guardian, eight people have been killed by ICE in January alone, including the high-profile cases of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Much of the outrage against ICE has come because “U.S. President Donald Trump’s top immigration officials have repeatedly made statements after violent encounters involving federal agents… that were later contradicted by evidence,” according to Reuters. For example, the Trump administration claimed that Alex Pretti and Renee Good were aggressors and domestic terrorists very shortly after the incident’s occurrence.
The people of Minnesota took the streets on January 23rd to demonstrate their outrage at the administration, and ICE’s presence in the city. Organizers of the protest, which was called a “Day of Truth and Freedom,” estimated turnout to be over 50,000 people, with a poll from In These Times stating that one in four Minnesotans participated in or had a loved one participate in protests.
In response to these protests, Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act—a piece of legislation that allows for the US military to be deployed domestically to act as police. The ACLU claims that this threat is “contrived to escalate conflict and intimidate people exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out.” However, Trump has stated he would use it “if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.”
Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz has expressed his discontent with the situation, posting on X, “Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota.”
Protests are continuing around the country calling for change in immigration enforcement. Locally, Skyview Middle School students organized a protest on February 4th, with North Creek High School planning a walk out on February 6th.
