United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to be stationed in states across the country with the intention of deporting illegal immigrants, according to BBC News.
Recently, ICE has been seen primarily in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where statewide protests have erupted following the surge of immigration raids.
Dubbed “Operation Metro Surge”, the mission was announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the purpose of sending 2,000 ICE agents to Minneapolis and Saint Paul to conduct the biggest immigration enforcement project so far.
The main focus was to “target undocumented Somali immigrants, ” said CNN.
Yet, since then, violence has ensued, causing the murder of Minneapolis Citizen Renée Good on January 7.
According to NBC News, Good “suffered three clear gunshot wounds, including one to her head,” after being shot by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross while trying to drive away from him, and subsequently being questioned by ICE agents, said ABC News.
Her death sparked national outrage, with over “1,000 events across the U.S. [being] planned,” according to NPR, for the upcoming weekend to protest ICE’s deployment in Minneapolis, immigration raids, and the deaths that occurred as a result.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded by sending more ICE agents to administer the protests, with “the Trump Administration… defend[ing] the shooting as an act of ‘self-defense,” said BBC.
Less than three weeks later, a second U.S. citizen was killed similarly to Good.
ICU Nurse Alex Pretti was murdered after a confrontation with ICE agents, where eyewitnesses claimed that an ICE agent pepper-sprayed Pretti, then “reache[d] to remove something from Pretti’s waist…Less than a second after this, an agent [shot] Pretti. Ten shots [were] heard,” said BBC.
Pretti died on impact.
Later that night, as protests waded on, “hundreds of people paid tribute to Pretti, lighting candles and chanting his name near the spot where he was shot,” said BBC.
Both Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz have spoken up against the deployment of ICE agents in Minneapolis, calling on President Donald Trump to force ICE to vacate the city immediately.
“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now,” said Walz on X.
Since then, Walz deployed the Minnesota National Guard to Minneapolis to defend against an ICE crackdown in the city.
As more violence occurs in Minneapolis, Republican politicians are also now weighing in on the issue.
“The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth,” said Republican Senator Bill Cassidy.
Protests continued as ICE agents detained 5-year-old Liam Ramos after his father was taken into custody on January 20.
A viral photo of Ramos has since circulated the internet, showing him wearing a backpack, blue knit beanie, and a scared look on his face, all while being held against a car by an agent.
Ramos was not the only minor taken into ICE custody, and on January 6, 14, and 20, multiple cases of children being taken from schools and homes without parents present were recorded, according to The Guardian.
In addition to protests, an economic blackout occurred on January 23, where local Minneapolis businesses closed, and citizens called out of work to show their support “against the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown in the state,” said Time.
This blackout “was organized by Minnesota faith leaders,” said MPR News.
Soon after, several states across the country participated in a nationwide economic blackout on January 30, with celebrities like Ariana Grande and Pedro Pascal encouraging participation on their social media platforms, according to The Guardian.
Now, almost two months since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge, Border Tsar Tom Homan announced on February 4 that “the Trump administration will reduce the number of immigration officers operating in Minneapolis by roughly 25 percent,” said Politico.
This roughly translates to 700 agents, meaning that an estimated 2,000 ICE agents will stay in Minneapolis.
As of now, this story is ongoing, as ICE continues to inhabit states across the country to deport illegal and criminal immigrants.
