Exceptional on-the-ground reporting. The detail about hand warmers being insufficient at -20 really conveys the seriousness of showing up. Watched similar movements fizzle when conditions got tough but Minneapolis folks proving collective action still works when the stakes are high enoughh. The free winter gear table exemplifies mutual aid in practice.
“We’ve arrested over 2,500 criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota since starting this operation with DHS,”
ric, If you believe that then perhaps you also believe that shooting somebody's mom is OK because she is a "professional terrorist", that hauling an old man - the wrong person, as it turns out -out into the cold in his underway is legitimate law enforcement, that pinning a person to the ground and pepper-spraying his face is a great police tactic, that little Liam ( a 5-year-old "worst of the worst") was "abandoned and would have frozen to death". And on and on. Every time the claims from the "officials" were lies. What else has been a lie? Everything, maybe??
The MN Dept of Corrections issued a statement yesterday pointing out that a.) they have been cooperating with DHS and ICE and b.) those groups have been lying - overstating - about the number of persons in custody in MN detention centers by about 1000 persons.
If we in Minnesota believed that ICE was here to arrest "the worst of the worst" we would welcome them. But they lie about that, too. They cruise around our schools, dress up like play soldiers in camo (jungle camo in the winter.. really??) with soldier belts with soldier equipment and show up in convoys of SUVs to arrest a single person who over 50% of the time has been a person in the country legally. They break doors down without legal warrants. They stop people and ask for "papers" ala 1930s Germany.
They aren't doing this to arrest the "worst of the worst" and we will document their actions and protest publicly so that everybody understands this.
The senior building where I live sent a busload -a busload - of 70 and 80 year old ladies to the protests yesterday. Why do you think they went? Why is their belief (the belief of persons living right here in south Minneapolis) about what is happening so different than your version?? They aren't getting their opinions from "official" sources or news shows, but from people who they personally know.
First to the MAGA commenters: ICE has utterly shredded its credibility by lying so much. But no one really objects to catching actual criminals, they object to the spectacles of fascist brutality and the failure to provide a path to citizenship to people who were de facto brought into the country (by Republicans even more than corporate Democrats) to be inexpensive labor. If ICE pepper-sprayed or shot in the face one white employer of undocumented workers for every Latino, they could easily dry up the demand for these workers and wipe out half the agricultural sector of Minnesota.
To Hamilton: Thank you so much for this excellent reporting! But I do have a comment/question and wonder if you might like to follow it up sometime. I've written to you in these comments or directly a couple of times, urging you to reconsider your hostility to the religious left. Basically I have said if we want successful coalitions we very often need religious left and labor working together with synergy at the grass-roots organizing and messaging levels. To me this Minneapolis organizing is an example of what I was driving at. It's not that I read the past hostility/condescension from you today--the opposite is true!-- it's that I wonder if your time in Minnesota has led you to rethink anything at more generalizable levels. Of course a "Minnesota" model wouldn't work the same everywhere... but that was part of my point before, where does it work and what can we do (and not do) to make it more likely to work in more places?
I think some thought the point was to get around to deporting all illegals, none of whom have any business. They came to work as cheap labor, but they weren't rounded up off the streets of their own countries.
The people of Minnesota are magnificent. Marching when it's below zero Fahrenheit. We are not worthy!
Trump loves Putin. Putin must subdue Ukraine, and Trump has to conquer his own renegade provinces. Putin sent his army into eastern Ukraine in 2014 wearing disguises. Trump formed an army in 2025 and sent it into American cities wearing disguises. They should rename the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Domestic War.
There is more courage in any one of the protestors than the cowards with their goddamned guns, tear gas, and orders from another lying fraud and coward to kill adults and kidnap children or anybody who dares to fight his vapid, self-centered cruelty and wish to destroy America.
This is the most detailed, vivid reporting I’ve seen about yesterday’s protest in Minneapolis. Encouraging to read about the strength and commitment of Minnesotans.
Now we need a follow-up protest/ boycott to keep the ICE resistance going.
“Nuremberg is coming” - this sent chills down my spine. Indeed, there is a judgment coming for all this brazen corruption, destruction, and injustice, and hopefully the penalty will be heavy. If you’re not on the right side of history now you better get there in a hurry, time is almost up
Minneapolis kicks ass. Watch and learn, this needs to happen at a bigger and bigger scale wherever ICE attacks next. Boycott all companies doing any business with ICE or supporting ICE or the Trump fascist regime.
Godspeed, brother. Thank you for the humanity.
Exceptional on-the-ground reporting. The detail about hand warmers being insufficient at -20 really conveys the seriousness of showing up. Watched similar movements fizzle when conditions got tough but Minneapolis folks proving collective action still works when the stakes are high enoughh. The free winter gear table exemplifies mutual aid in practice.
“We’ve arrested over 2,500 criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota since starting this operation with DHS,”
ric, If you believe that then perhaps you also believe that shooting somebody's mom is OK because she is a "professional terrorist", that hauling an old man - the wrong person, as it turns out -out into the cold in his underway is legitimate law enforcement, that pinning a person to the ground and pepper-spraying his face is a great police tactic, that little Liam ( a 5-year-old "worst of the worst") was "abandoned and would have frozen to death". And on and on. Every time the claims from the "officials" were lies. What else has been a lie? Everything, maybe??
The MN Dept of Corrections issued a statement yesterday pointing out that a.) they have been cooperating with DHS and ICE and b.) those groups have been lying - overstating - about the number of persons in custody in MN detention centers by about 1000 persons.
If we in Minnesota believed that ICE was here to arrest "the worst of the worst" we would welcome them. But they lie about that, too. They cruise around our schools, dress up like play soldiers in camo (jungle camo in the winter.. really??) with soldier belts with soldier equipment and show up in convoys of SUVs to arrest a single person who over 50% of the time has been a person in the country legally. They break doors down without legal warrants. They stop people and ask for "papers" ala 1930s Germany.
They aren't doing this to arrest the "worst of the worst" and we will document their actions and protest publicly so that everybody understands this.
The senior building where I live sent a busload -a busload - of 70 and 80 year old ladies to the protests yesterday. Why do you think they went? Why is their belief (the belief of persons living right here in south Minneapolis) about what is happening so different than your version?? They aren't getting their opinions from "official" sources or news shows, but from people who they personally know.
First to the MAGA commenters: ICE has utterly shredded its credibility by lying so much. But no one really objects to catching actual criminals, they object to the spectacles of fascist brutality and the failure to provide a path to citizenship to people who were de facto brought into the country (by Republicans even more than corporate Democrats) to be inexpensive labor. If ICE pepper-sprayed or shot in the face one white employer of undocumented workers for every Latino, they could easily dry up the demand for these workers and wipe out half the agricultural sector of Minnesota.
To Hamilton: Thank you so much for this excellent reporting! But I do have a comment/question and wonder if you might like to follow it up sometime. I've written to you in these comments or directly a couple of times, urging you to reconsider your hostility to the religious left. Basically I have said if we want successful coalitions we very often need religious left and labor working together with synergy at the grass-roots organizing and messaging levels. To me this Minneapolis organizing is an example of what I was driving at. It's not that I read the past hostility/condescension from you today--the opposite is true!-- it's that I wonder if your time in Minnesota has led you to rethink anything at more generalizable levels. Of course a "Minnesota" model wouldn't work the same everywhere... but that was part of my point before, where does it work and what can we do (and not do) to make it more likely to work in more places?
I think some thought the point was to get around to deporting all illegals, none of whom have any business. They came to work as cheap labor, but they weren't rounded up off the streets of their own countries.
The people of Minnesota are magnificent. Marching when it's below zero Fahrenheit. We are not worthy!
Trump loves Putin. Putin must subdue Ukraine, and Trump has to conquer his own renegade provinces. Putin sent his army into eastern Ukraine in 2014 wearing disguises. Trump formed an army in 2025 and sent it into American cities wearing disguises. They should rename the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Domestic War.
Proud of all of you showing the way ahead.
There is more courage in any one of the protestors than the cowards with their goddamned guns, tear gas, and orders from another lying fraud and coward to kill adults and kidnap children or anybody who dares to fight his vapid, self-centered cruelty and wish to destroy America.
This is the most detailed, vivid reporting I’ve seen about yesterday’s protest in Minneapolis. Encouraging to read about the strength and commitment of Minnesotans.
Now we need a follow-up protest/ boycott to keep the ICE resistance going.
Great article. Thanks for sharing your experience.
wonderful -- hate and cold can't stop the love in our hearts and our hopes for a better world...
Now let’s make a list of all charges and convictions against commander-in-chief.
I’d bless those Minnesotans! And what was the response of ICE? Kill another innocent citizen. It’s got to stop!
This is some impressive on the ground reporting.
“Nuremberg is coming” - this sent chills down my spine. Indeed, there is a judgment coming for all this brazen corruption, destruction, and injustice, and hopefully the penalty will be heavy. If you’re not on the right side of history now you better get there in a hurry, time is almost up
Minneapolis kicks ass. Watch and learn, this needs to happen at a bigger and bigger scale wherever ICE attacks next. Boycott all companies doing any business with ICE or supporting ICE or the Trump fascist regime.
That was lovely.