ICE agents killed a second Minneapolis resident on Jan. 24, just one day after a general strike was called in the city to protest the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good and weeks of brutal ICE abductions targeting non-citizens and citizens alike. Just hours after ICE agents shot 37-year-old Veterans Administration ICU nurse Alex Pretti 10 times, the Trump regime officials falsely labeled him a domestic terrorist intent on killing federal officers, repeating the same lies with which they attempted to criminalize and demonize Renee Good.
One week after Trump ordered the Department of Justice to open investigations on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, alleging they obstructed ICE operations, both men had phone conversations with the president described as positive. The White House announced on Jan. 26 that Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino was relieved of his duties of immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota and that an unspecified number of his agents would also soon leave the state.
A federal court judge in Minneapolis heard arguments from Minnesota officials on Jan. 26 seeking to end what they called an “unlawful and unchecked invasion” by some 3,000 federal agents in violation of state sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A recent letter from Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi to Gov. Walz had demanded the state turn over voter registration records, welfare program data and repeal sanctuary policies in exchange for reducing or ending federal immigration operations in the state. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Madison McVan, a reporter with the Minnesota Reformer, an independent, nonprofit news outlet where she talks about state residents’ courageous response to the escalating Trump-ICE wave of state violence.
MADISON MCVAN: The Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions here in Minnesota investigates most law enforcement-involved shootings and so that would cover shootings by federal agents as well. So, while they were able to access the scene of Renee Good’s killing the FBI and DHS took the evidence with them and have since blocked BCA from accessing evidence like the car that she was killed in. When it came to the killing of Alex Pretti, they didn’t even let BCA investigators on the scene. So the BCA showed up like they normally do to go check out the scene and gather evidence and the federal agents blocked them. So then they went to a court and got a warrant to access a public street, which is a really unusual move. Came back with the warrant and the federal officials still did not let them access the scene. So the state’s being totally shut out of this. It seems like even some Republicans in Congress are showing some kind of interest in investigating the killing of Alex Pretti, but I’ll kind of believe it when I see it. It seems like the DHS is more interested in investigating itself.
MADISON MCVAN: I would say that it has increased people’s fear, but it has not dampened protests. People are scared, but I think they’re also feeling like they’re backed into a corner and they’re fighting back in ways that I’ve never seen before. It feels like in the Twin Cities at least, which these are deep blue, extremely liberal leftist places, and there was kind of the groundwork formed for community organization during 2020 and George Floyd that is kind of being brought back up to the surface now. And we’re just seeing widespread organization and participation. And I think one of the things that makes people feel safe is the idea of safety in numbers. Protesters know that ICE can find out who they are. They know the government can track their license plate or look up their name or use AI to scan their faces and find their identities. They all know this. So they’re under no misconception that they can keep their anonymity. They just think if we all keep showing up, then we’re all going to be safe. So we’re seeing that play out in lots of ways in the Twin Cities right now.
SCOTT HARRIS: There are many people who are observers of what’s going on in Minnesota with this ramping up of the ICE raids and the thousands of agents that have been deployed there. And they see this as a test case that if Trump can employ violent repression in Minnesota without accountability, then we could soon see what’s happening in Minnesota be exported by Trump to all 50 states. As someone on the ground there in Minnesota, do you think that’s a valid point of view in terms of we may be at a pivot point in our country, in our democracy with these tactics, these violent tactics that are being deliberately targeted on Minnesota?
MADISON MCVAN: I would say it certainly feels like a pivot point. I mean, it feels like we’ve reached a new level of violence and state repression here in Minnesota. But I wouldn’t declare this a Trump victory and say that this tactic will work elsewhere because I’m not sure it’s worked in Minnesota. I mean, like I just said, this has inspired so much collaboration and pushback amongst the general public that I just don’t know if they’d have the manpower to do this across the country. Even here it doesn’t feel like they have the manpower. They’re certainly getting their arrests, they’re still arresting immigrants and two people have died so far. And actually I don’t think I’ve heard you mention yet, a third man was shot last week. He wasn’t killed, but I don’t know if it’s necessarily a win yet.
SCOTT HARRIS: Madison, I did want to ask you about the Minnesota National Guard that Gov. Walz had activated. There’s been some commentary about fear of confrontation between federal immigration agents and the state National Guard if they are deployed in the same place for different purposes. What, if anything, can you tell us about that?
MADISON MCVAN: Well, so far the deployment of the National Guard seems to not have been an escalation like many thought it might be. I mean, they basically showed up. The reason that the National Guard was requested by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was that he was basically just saying, “Look, our police resources are stretched thin because of everything that’s been happening. We just need more support on the ground.” So the National Guard really just came out to the neighborhood where Alex Pretti was killed on Saturday. They instituted a curfew and the National Guard was basically just in charge of making sure everything stayed quiet in the neighborhood in the days following Alex Pretti’s killing by an immigration officer.
