Roper: Libertarians are outraged by ICE tactics. Will conservatives listen?

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They consider taxation to be theft, oppose gun regulations and want to dismantle the welfare state. But they’re also royally pissed off about the federal operation in the Twin Cities.

Meet the libertarians.

The bastions of smaller government and individual freedom have planted their “Don’t Tread On Me” flag in the ground opposing the ICE surge in Minnesota and the “unconstitutional and violent” actions of federal agents. That’s according to a resolution passed unanimously by the Libertarian Party of Minnesota’s executive committee on Jan. 19.

It calls out warrantless raids, harassment of peaceful people at schools and hospitals, deportations without due process and violence against protestors, observers and bystanders — violations, they say, of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th amendments to the Constitution.

“Once we give this power to the federal government, we set a precedent that can never be undone,” Rebecca Whiting, the party’s chair, told me earlier this month. Whiting, who lives in Bemidji, recently joined an anti-ICE protest outside the Whipple Building.

The libertarian stand is a reminder that there are conservative arguments against the Trump administration’s heavy-handed “reckoning & retribution” in Minnesota, a Big Government intrusion that is terrorizing plenty of non-white U.S. citizens under the auspices of scooping up undocumented immigrant criminals.

Yet our political tribalism is so downright stupid these days that lefties — the side usually more tolerant of bigger, centralized government — have been largely alone in calling it out.

Whiting, who ran for U.S. Senate as a libertarian in 2024, has a lot of right-leaning followers online. Many have been shocked by her negative reaction to the ICE surge, with some accusing her of not defending law enforcement. She says that if had they considered libertarianism’s emphasis on the individual over state power, “they would have very easily been able to jump to the conclusion that I would have been against what is happening.”

“I am sincerely concerned at the direction that we’re going and at the speed ... we are getting there,” Whiting said.

The Libertarian Party’s Facebook post announcing their anti-ICE resolution was met with heaps of derision from commenters, who described the party as “commies” and “liberals in disguise.” (Those folks must have missed the party’s post hours earlier criticizing Martin Luther King, Jr. — on MLK Day — for his liberal economic beliefs.)

Who’s in charge appears to have a big impact on some people’s views of government power. Whiting has noticed that many people who complained about COVID lockdowns are now cheering on ICE agents, for example. As she sees it, the illegal immigration problem in Minnesota was not great enough to warrant this level of federal response, which tells her that the surge is politically motivated.

Libertarians remain a fringe facet of Minnesota’s political scene. It is one of four recognized minor parties in the state, with no representation in the Legislature. Whiting garnered about 55,000 votes in 2024 — 1.7% of those cast. And some of her beliefs are far afield of the mainstream, such as only recognizing federal laws written in the constitution and not being obligated to follow “bad” laws.

But the party’s principles are useful guideposts for people conveying their political philosophy, like the Republican state representative who describes herself as a “constitutional conservative with some libertarian leanings.”

Differing opinions about the ICE situation has exposed some holes in the normal overlap between libertarians and Republicans.

Both groups believe strongly in the 2nd Amendment, for example, which is rooted in the idea that a state militia might be needed to keep the federal government in check. It’s a troubling thought, frankly, that has justified a lot of guns in this country.

In the Twin Cities, real fears that the federal government has run amok are fueling a resistance movement equipped with whistles and smartphones. It’s not pleasant, and no one wants to see this conflict escalate. But the Trump administration’s view that they are “anarchists” ignores this country’s longstanding concern about an overreach of the federal government.

Minneapolis residents have made it clear, through many elections, that they do not want their police officers cooperating with immigration agents. Yet day after day, we now hear federal officials criticizing Minneapolis leaders for not aiding ICE — essentially demanding that they thwart the will of the local electorate.