Readers Write: The end of Operation Metro Surge, masked ICE agents, the way forward

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

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Minnesota needs a party. It has to be cathartic, so it has to give us an outlet for pent-up rage, but it also has to have shared joy and community. It has to start the healing process within each of us, and it has to be intensely local, but it also has to be shared with the nation and the world. It has to be led by artists and musicians, therapists and teachers, and regular folks, because those are the people who organized and protested, who delivered food to families, took kids to school and arranged medical care for those in need. It doesn’t need politicians, because they did not lead the resistance.

It needs to be welcoming, because right now we need visitors who will not only celebrate with us, but also eat at our restaurants, shop at our stores and learn why we value the diversity that has made our community so strong.

We need a party — a spontaneous, joyous, welcoming party — to celebrate the resilience of our community.

Doug Shidell, Minneapolis

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Robert Victorin-Vangerud, Minneapolis

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Border czar Tom Homan’s news conference and statement about a drawdown in Minnesota follows the dystopian mantra of the Trump administration: If we say it, believe it, rather than your eyes and ears. There were so many untruths spewed during Homan’s news conference it was hard to keep track. Minnesota wouldn’t allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to criminals — false. ICE protesters are agitators, causing ICE violence — false. ICE is making Minnesota safer — false. ICE is focused on undocumented criminals — false. So why would any Minnesotan believe this man? As sure as I am that Lucy will pull the football away from Charlie Brown, ICE’s brutality will not stop until we make it stop. I don’t need any more “updates” from Homan, who lies with ease and took a $50,000 bribe. He is nothing more than a bagman who insults every Minnesotan when he speaks.

Kelly Dahl, Linden Grove Township, Minn.

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Homan’s narrative about who the criminals are comes from an alternate universe where the people who attacked law enforcement on Jan. 6 are back on the streets, and the people who reacted to Lang’s lawlessness were arrested at the Whipple Building. Another day, another news conference full of lies and misrepresentations by the federal government.

Lauren Fithian, Richfield

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Homan just announced that ICE has achieved Trump’s goals in Minnesota. He said that Minnesota is safer because of their occupation. Make no mistake, Minnesota will be safer if ICE concludes this action. Minnesota will be safer if we continue to support our neighbors as they heal and as our economy recovers.

Sharon Weller, St. Paul

Here are the names and circumstances of the officers killed in the line of duty since 2015:

The scourge that is “immigration enforcement” is not law enforcement. If the goal was immigration enforcement, the president would not have directed his party to kill the bipartisan immigration reform bill prior to his campaign with the instruction that he wanted to be able to run on immigration as an issue.

Sheila Miller, Golden Valley

I will never forget Jan. 24. I was heading to my father’s home when news broke: Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation. I found my father, a law enforcement officer, preparing riot gear and contacting colleagues.

The day shifted. I finalized a letter I had been working on addressed to President Donald Trump, Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, calling for a pause in street-level ICE ground enforcement in exchange for fuller Minnesota cooperation on detainer requests. Some agencies cooperate. I commend them. But implementation varies.

I’ve seen a false choice presented before us: total rejection of immigration enforcement on one side or total support despite constitutional violations on the other.

We must rise above both options. Americans can support enforcement of immigration laws. Strong borders protect families, uphold the rule of law and ensure fairness for legal pathways. Lax enforcement brings strained resources, safety risks and eroded trust. But we must condemn rights violations regardless of who commits them. The Fourth Amendment and due process are nonnegotiable. Loyalty to party or leader cannot eclipse loyalty to the Constitution.

This is about integrity. Public servants swear the same oath. Uphold it, and trust rebuilds.

Strong borders stop drug dealers, sex traffickers and criminals. Enforcement can respect rights. Rejecting sanctuary policies enables coordination. Minnesotans can support both.

The human cost of falling for the binary choice before us is too high. Let it remind us of our shared duty: Enforce law faithfully, protect rights steadfastly, unite around the Constitution.

Julia Coleman, Waconia