On Friday, thousands of businesses throughout Minnesota locked up their doors. They came together to form a powerful economic strike in opposition to the recent enforcement actions taken by federal agents on immigrant communities. The protest explodes amidst the heightened tension. Vice President JD Vance has recently encouraged local law enforcement to join together with federal officers to forcibly remove immigrants from the state.
Vance further focused on the need for collaboration between state and local leaders. Such a collaboration will result in more effective law enforcement and help restore order in cities such as Minneapolis. His comments came days after the deployment of thousands of federal law enforcement to Minnesota as part of his “Operation Metro Surge.” The goal of the Trump administration’s new initiative may be couched in terms of a public safety operation. Its stated aim is to deport people who are convicted as criminals and residing here without legal authorization.
One year ago today, President Donald Trump was reinstated to office. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security says Minnesota law enforcement have arrested 10,000 people labeled “criminal illegal aliens.” Yet this militarized approach from federal agencies has met intense pushback from the communities on the receiving end of this aggression. Defenders point out that critics have focused on Minnesota’s “sanctuary” policies. These policies end local cooperation with ICE, and their proponents claim that such measures are key to public safety.
The latest policing crackdown has ignited a popular uprising. That storm grew louder after the recent and tragic killing of Renee Good, a biracial Minneapolis woman, earlier this month. This tragedy led to widespread protests in the state, revealing the fears that have been circulating in immigrant communities about increased ICE presence and activity. Columbia Heights school officials confirmed ICE detained four students. The ages of these students — from five to 17 — have made the situation all the more alarming to their respective communities.
In a statement reflecting the sentiments of many protesters, Vice President Vance acknowledged the need for improvement in handling the situation, stating, “There are a lot of things all of us could do better to lower the temperature.” He added, “The number one thing that I learned today is the best way to facilitate reasonable enforcement of the law and to lower the chaos in Minneapolis would be for state and local officials to cooperate.”
The opposition to ICE’s actions is real and felt among Minnesota business owners. Kim Bartmann, who owns six restaurants in Minneapolis, announced that four of her establishments would close in solidarity with the protest. She noted the economic ramifications of fear within immigrant communities, stating, “Everyone is in solidarity, but everyone needs to buy groceries and pay their rents.”
Like-minded, one such small business owner, Corey Lamb, owner of Harriet Grove Botanicals made the determination to cease normal business operations and join the protest. He expressed concern for his friends and colleagues affected by ICE’s presence: “We have a lot of friends that we rely on; we have a lot of businesses that we rely on, in order to make our business work.” He further articulated the broader impact of ICE’s actions, remarking, “When those individuals are struggling because they’re afraid of being detained or disappeared, it has an effect not only morally but economically on what’s going on here and in the greater Midwest.”
Bishop Dwayne Royster echoed these sentiments during a demonstration: “We want ICE out of Minnesota, and we want ICE out of every state, with their extreme overreach.” The community is just as fired up by these calls to action. Now, thousands of Santa Monica residents are uniting against what they consider to be a heavy-handed, unfair enforcement effort.
With ICE operations still active in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the firestorm over immigration enforcement is far from spent. Severe tactics ahead for undocumented migrants critics caution that moves like these will severely affect the undocumented migrant. They worry that innocent U.S. citizens with no criminal record may be swept up and wrongly detained. This increasing tension and community turmoil highlight an alarming chasm between the intent of federal immigration enforcement and the values of our communities.