Readers Write: 11 suburban mayors call for ICE to respect constitutional rights

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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As mayors who represent more than 10% of Minnesotans, we are concerned over the manner in which immigration enforcement policies are being carried out in our communities. The current Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, with over 3,000 officers working within our state, has created an environment of fear for many of our residents.

We are troubled by the current show of force that complicates the work that we do as mayors trying to better the lives of our residents.

The No. 1 job of municipal government is keeping people safe. The presence of thousands of masked ICE agents on our streets is not contributing to making our residents feel safe. With the reports of warrantless searches and detentions of people trying to go about their daily lives, our communities, schools and businesses are being negatively impacted.

We call on the Department of Homeland Security to conduct its enforcement work in a lawful manner by upholding constitutional rights and following due process.

We hope and trust that the federal government will partner with us to deliver the highest-quality public safety practices that our shared constituencies deserve and expect.

Minnesota has been my home for more than half my life, and I have never felt as much love and shared responsibility as I do now. The recent protest that overwhelmingly rejected Jake Lang’s hateful views showed me, once again, the true character of this community (“Protesters interrupt Lang’s anti-Islam rally,” Jan. 19). My heart was deeply moved seeing so many of our neighbors stand up to protect us as Somalis and firmly say that hate has no place here. On Dec. 24, I wrote a letter to the president expressing my disappointment about rising hostility toward our community. Yet, despite that, I love Minnesota more today than I did 25 years ago. The way Minnesotans have stood together in solidarity reminds me why this state is worth fighting for.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to my fellow Minnesotans for your courage, compassion and unwavering support.

Mohamed Sayid, Burnsville

It is difficult to disagree with Corey Kvasnick’s commentary arguing that an “off-ramp” to the current crisis is needed (“Minnesota needs an off-ramp before it’s too late,” Strib Voices, Jan. 20). But he is wrong for claiming that Gov. Tim Walz bears the “greatest responsibility” for building one. While he admits that Trump’s motive for sending this massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement force here is political — “immigration enforcement energizes his political base” — Kvasnick believes Walz is responsible for resolving the crisis because “he governs the streets, schools and neighborhoods where it could spiral out of control.” Who actually governs the streets, when ICE and Customs and Border Protection have five times as many agents on the streets as local police, with ICE agents stopping people and threatening them at will on those streets? Who governs the schools when they are forced to close to protect their students and parents who are afraid to leave their homes? Who governs the neighborhoods where ICE agents break down doors without judicial warrants and detain citizens?

One off-ramp might have been facilitated if Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump had not immediately lied about the tragic killing of Renee Good and allowed the FBI to investigate the killing in conjunction with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Another off-ramp might have been more possible if Noem did not insist that they were only detaining “the worst of the worst,” a demonstrable falsehood. Any effort by Homeland Security to reach a reasonable accommodation to the crisis would not have involved sending a thousand more agents into the Twin Cities after the killing of Good, pouring more gas on a combustible situation. Is there any indication that the Trump administration would be willing to negotiate an off-ramp when they seek to indict the governor and the mayor, who have repeatedly called for peaceful citizen action?

Robert M. Berdahl, St. Paul

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I read, with some amusement, the recent commentary by Kvasnick. In it he refers to “golden bridges” and “off-ramps” that Minnesota leaders should pursue in negotiations with Trump. His rhetoric might be persuasive except that he overlooks one basic tenet of negotiations. That is: Both sides must have something to gain by comprising.

It is clear that Minnesota has a lot to gain. Currently the state is overcome by demonstrations and some degree of lawlessness. It is also occupied by paramilitary forces of the U.S. government. Hopefully negotiations would reduce both of those.

Trump, on the other hand, has no incentive to compromise, because:

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A recent opinion piece certainly was not wrong that “Minnesota needs an off-ramp before it’s too late.” What I fear is that threshold was already crossed on Day One.

Trump has barely made any secret that this surge is at least as much about making a spectacular show of force against a state whose politics he dislikes as it is about immigration enforcement. It’s quite possible, if not likely, that doing something “irreversible” in the Twin Cities has been Trump’s intended endgame right from the start; he’s just waiting for the right pretext to do so, even if he ultimately has to gin one up himself.

Joshua Truax, Fridley

Thank you for the bright spot in the Jan. 19 Star Tribune, “Bright lights of Walmart reveal economic story” by Aaron Brown. It’s been a while since I laughed and cried while reading such a vibrant, cute and relevant story. I can relate, having taken my mother-in-law to Target using a mobility scooter. And I cried because I am usually the one on the other end of the telephone while my sister shops at Walmart. I always feel bad she is on the phone while shopping, but I rarely get to hear her voice. I enjoy hearing the sounds of other shoppers in the background and the sounds of her scanning her items.

Carla McClellan, Minneapolis

Thank you to the amazing team of Minnesota Star Tribune reporters, photographers, and writers for your ongoing coverage of immigration enforcement activity and resident responses throughout Minnesota. It has been a remarkably challenging time for our state, and the Star Tribune has been there to document it from all angles. The Strib team members are frequently putting themselves in dangerous situations in order to carefully document what is truly happening while striving to provide balance, giving voice to those with various perspectives. And you don’t do this work anonymously. At a time when it could be risky to attach one’s name to simple truthful reporting, the bylines and photo credits tell us all the names of the brave souls who continue to ensure that we have a free press supporting freedom for all. Kudos!