Opinion: Top leaders in Minneapolis downplayed threats to immigrant communities

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On June 3, multiple City Council offices in Minneapolis received reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue. Suddenly, a photo of a law enforcement official with a badge emblazoned with “ICE” came through. The worry that people were going to be ripped away from their families, without due process, sank in.

We viewed photos and videos shared by community leaders, council members on the scene and nearby neighbors. What we saw were federal law enforcement officials — FBI, HSI, ATF, DEA, ICE — in large numbers, militarized, carrying assault weapons, with zip ties, faces covered and armored vehicles. We saw Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies and the Minneapolis Police Department. We saw our neighbors standing against the militarization of their neighborhood and standing up for community members in a densely immigrant-populated corridor.

Initial statements from Mayor Jacob Frey, Police Chief Brian O’Hara and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office at best were surface-level and shifted focus away from federal agencies that need to be held accountable and lacked empathy for the trauma experienced by our community, and at worst minimized the threat to our immigrant community members now and into the future. They have shared multiple times that this was “not immigration enforcement” but a “criminal investigation.”

However, this incident didn’t occur in a vacuum; there is a context that leadership is failing to acknowledge. Even as the initial operation was a criminal investigation, the presence of ICE and the militarization should be a red flag to any leader in any city that there is a risk of immigration enforcement and future action from the federal government.

On May 31, top ICE officials sent out instructions to officers across the country to increase apprehensions, to “get creative” and “turn the knob up to 11.” A director of ICE enforcement, Marcos Charles, instructed officials to go after people they may coincidentally encounter — what ICE has termed as “collaterals,” to achieve the goals of President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem to hit a quota of 3,000 arrests a day to execute a mass deportation. The following day, June 4, was reported to set the record for ICE arrests in a single day in history, at 2,200 people arrested.

In the following week, the world watched as immigration raids took hold throughout the country. Most visibly in Los Angeles, with tensions high, Trump commandeered 4,000 National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to be deployed into the streets and only fanned the flames, putting everyday people at risk. What had escalated the situation in Minneapolis on June 3 were similar conditions, paired with the presence of ICE and a striking militarized force (not a recipe for a successful criminal investigation).

Yet, top leaders, including Frey, pointed their fingers at other elected leaders for the chaos, because those others made statements communicating the presence of ICE and raised concerns that local law enforcement was on scene assisting the operation with crowd control. Blame-shifting away from ICE, calling the militarization of streets merely “tone-deaf” and denying immigration enforcement as a possible threat is irresponsible, lacks accountability and is not forward-thinking.

Residents need answers and accountability. There is objectively not enough information on how everything transpired on June 3 and what it means for the future. Why was Hennepin County assisting an operation that included ICE? What originated the Minneapolis Police Department presence? What was done or not done to de-escalate the situation? How will the MPD ensure compliance with the city’s separation ordinance, which restricts city employees, including police, from inquiring about the immigration status of individuals or assisting in federal immigration enforcement actions? Was there a violation of the separation ordinance? In part, that is why the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a request for an after-action review of the city’s involvement by the independent City Auditor’s Office.

We need a plan to prevent this from becoming the norm. The city of Minneapolis lacks a clear internal protocol for addressing situations that can escalate when ICE is present. Under the current top leadership, the city is unprepared. There needs to be a collaborative effort to try harder to do right by our vulnerable communities, and the need for better communication is an understatement. This plan must begin with prioritizing care for our communities at its center. We must come together to strengthen protections for our immigrant communities at the local level.

Fear of retaliation from the federal level, when federal agencies are already harming our community, is not a logical reason for inaction.

It is on all of us to come together and ensure the safety and dignity of our immigrant communities and, in turn, the safety of every resident. That is how we uphold the values of Minneapolis. Top leadership failed to meet the moment here. Now we need accountability and action.