When the big raid happened on Lake Street in June, Minneapolis residents figured it was an ICE operation so they jumped to conclusions and caused a scene. At that point, I thought all the concerns over ICE were largely overblown and unnecessary. When I learned this operation was related to an absolutely massive drug operation, I had to roll my eyes at everyone in the streets trying to interrupt the officers that were trying to arrest some of the baddest guys around. This is such an obvious "win" and necessary operation. I overwhelmingly support initiatives like this. When it was positioned as "ICE is coming to get the criminals" - and I had no reason to distrust that - I supported that notion. As it has unraveled though, my opinion on everything has changed drastically. Expanding on item #2 above, one of my biggest concerns is where the onus of responsibility lies. This begins with ICE's responsibility to conduct its operations lawfully. Being "short staffed" or operating under stressful situations does not absolve them of their duty to operate under the law.

The argument that people should "always carry proof, just in case" shifts the burden onto individuals to prove innocence, lest they risk being pulled into a van for failure to comply. The courts have made it clear (and ChatGPT helped me with some of these details...) that ICE can only force you to "prove" citizenship if they have reasonable suspicion. This must be based on specifics and facts that the person is personally violating immigration law - appearance, accent, silence, or walking away is not enough. Here's a confrontation at the airport where an officer speaks to a Somali Uber driver saying: "I can hear you don't have the same accent as me, that's why I'm asking where you were born?"

From what I've seen, these detainments aren't a simple car ride to the local courthouse for a couple hours - it can be a highly traumatic experience filled with intense fear. Here is the most calm, level headed recount I've seen of what it's like to be detained. This guy is a white US citizen that was detained for 10 hours. He left with a little bit of road rash to his face, before being released without charges. There are also various testimonies released from the recent legislative oversight hearings on their experiences being detained. No parts of this would classify as just a minor inconvenience. I haven't yet read anything on what the experience is like for an actual non-citizen.

I've saved some Instagram posts showing interactions people have had with ICE agents. These serve as a seemingly authentic, first-person view on how some of these confrontations are handled: Nimco Omar - A Somali woman parked her car and started walking towards the largest Somali mall in Minneapolis, just one block away from a friend's house. Four ICE agents exited their car and began a "citizen check" on the sidewalk. They questioned her birthplace and demanded an ID while saying, "We're going to identify you one way or another".

Destiny + Shawn Jackson: Family who were driving their children home, when their vehicle was struck by a flash-bang, which setoff the airbags. A tear-gas canister was dropped near the car. Three of the children were hospitalized. In response to criticism of this event, DHS tweeted, "It is horrific to see radical agitators bring children to their violent riots. PLEASE STOP ENDANGERING YOUR CHILDREN". They were a family going home from a basketball game. They later deleted the tweet.

---

Minnesota NICE vs. Minneapolis ICE - Part III