Minneapolis Leaders Decry ICE 'Siege' as Operation Escalates
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a significant escalation in immigration enforcement has unfolded, with local leaders and residents describing the situation as a 'siege' or 'invasion'. This follows a fatal shooting by an ICE agent over a week ago, which has intensified tensions and sparked ongoing protests against Customs and Border Protection and other law enforcement officials.
Unprecedented Federal Presence in Twin Cities
The Trump administration's 'Operation Metro Surge' in the Twin Cities represents a marked increase in scale compared to previous mobilizations. With approximately 3,000 federal agents deployed to Minnesota, this is touted as the largest enforcement operation to date. The impact is particularly pronounced in Minneapolis and St Paul, where the population is less than one-fifth that of Los Angeles, yet federal officers now outnumber the Minneapolis police force by a ratio of five to one.
Aggressive Tactics and Community Disruption
The tactics employed by federal agents have grown notably more aggressive and indiscriminate. Reports indicate that armed officers have appeared at sensitive locations such as schools, daycares, churches, and mosques. Masked agents are stopping residents at traffic lights or during routine activities like walking to grocery stores, demanding proof of citizenship at gunpoint. Targets include not only undocumented immigrants but also individuals with legal status, valid visas, US citizens, and tribal citizens.
In a concerning development, local law enforcement officers have reported that even off-duty police officers of color have been stopped and questioned at gunpoint by immigration agents. This has contributed to a climate of fear, with many immigrants and people of color avoiding work, school, and shopping. Approximately 80% of immigrant-run businesses were closed last week, and some remaining establishments have posted signs barring federal agents and locked their doors for safety.
Legal and Constitutional Concerns
Immigration agents have been emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling in September, which provides legal cover for stops and detentions based on appearance, accent, or vocation. This has led to instances of warrantless entries into private homes, such as the case of Garrison Gibson, a 38-year-old Liberian man whose door was broken down with a battering ram, and ChongLy 'Scott' Thao, a 56-year-old US citizen who was led outside in his underwear in subfreezing conditions.
Julia Decker, a policy director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, stated, 'The administration has been emboldened. The federal government feels it has the right to act beyond its authority.' Attorneys conducting 'know your rights' trainings now caution that federal agents may not be deterred by constitutional and legal restrictions, highlighting the erosion of trust in legal safeguards.
Community Response and Mutual Aid Efforts
In response to the crisis, Minneapolis residents have organized mutual aid efforts and food-delivery services for those too afraid to leave their homes. Volunteer legal observers, posted at street corners, use whistles and car horns to alert communities when agents are in the area. Online legal-observer training sessions have been fully booked by concerned Minnesotans.
Andrew Falstrom, a longtime community organiser, remarked, 'What you have is moms, grandmas, teenagers out on the streets day in and day out doing everything that they can to protect their communities... But whatever we do, we won't be able to match a federal force backed by billions of dollars. They have guns and teargas, and we've got whistles and car horns.'
Impact on Daily Life and Public Safety
The operation has overwhelmed Minneapolis's 911 dispatchers with calls from residents encountering immigration enforcement. Police Chief Brian O'Hara noted that callers have often been injured by chemical irritants and crowd-control weapons used by federal agents against immigrant targets, advocates, and bystanders. For many, regular life has been suspended, with one US citizen from Colombia expressing, 'It feels as though nowhere is safe,' and carrying her passport at all times due to fear.
This situation echoes past mobilizations in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles but stands out for its intensity and the profound disruption it has caused in the Twin Cities, raising urgent questions about civil liberties and the role of federal enforcement in local communities.
