Democratic members of Congress arrive in Minnesota to witness ICE incursion

 

Immigrants, activists and local politicians on Friday implored members of Congress to use their influence to stop the violent arrests conducted by federal immigration officers who have flooded Minnesota under President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.

Dozens of members of Congress gathered in Minnesota to hear on-the-ground testimony and bear witness to how federal agents have menaced Minnesotans in recent weeks, especially Somalis and Latinos. But they also learned of how immigration agents’ actions have hardened Minnesotans’ resolve to fight for their constitutional rights.

Immigration raids are resulting in injuries, idling vehicles left in the streets, abandoned dogs wandering through neighborhoods and destruction of property, testifiers said. Agents are also scanning the streets for Minnesotans of color and asking for their papers.

“People are walking around on the street with their passports. That’s not American. That’s the furthest thing from it,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the federal lawmakers. “Please take back to your respective constituencies and your colleagues the message of, if you love your own community, do not let this happen in ours.”

Friday’s hearing was not a formal hearing, but the sixth in a series conducted by U.S. House Democrats to highlight the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. The committee also invited both Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. No Republicans attended.

Newly elected St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Laos, told the committee that advisors recommended she carry her passport in case she gets stopped by federal agents. Her’s parents, who are U.S. citizens, are afraid to leave their homes for fear that their “neighbors would tell (federal agents) that that house was an Asian house.”

Trump has used fraud in Minnesota’s public programs to attack Minnesota’s Somali-American community and justify sending 3,000 immigration agents to the state.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota, said many Somali Minnesotans are afraid to send their children to school, and elders are carrying immigration documents to their mosque.

“Do your job. Stand up for the Constitution of the American people. Our lives depend on it,” Hussein said.

Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, executive director of Unidos Minnesota, said the immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota have caused many to distrust the federal government.

“People should not have to worry that an encounter with a masked, armed federal agent could cost them their lives. This is not about whether immigration law exists. This is about how power is exercised,” Gonzalez Avalos said.

A lawsuit filed Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union alleges immigration authorities are racially profiling Minnesota residents and detaining people with legal status, including citizens. Minnesota and the Twin Cities are also suing the Trump administration to stop the immigration surge.

U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of California encouraged Minnesotans to keep documenting the unlawful actions of federal agents and noted that the statute of limitations for violations of federal law is five years.

“While this administration may not hold anyone accountable, I guarantee you a future administration will,” Lieu said. “All of us are here today to let the people in Minnesota know that you are not alone, that the Constitution protects you and you are on the right side of history.”

In D.C., Congress is rushing to pass annual appropriations by the end of January to avoid another government shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan hinted that House Democrats may use the actions of federal agents in Minnesota, including the killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, as leverage in the upcoming budget battle.

“We have passed policies to tell them not to do ICE actions in front of schools, health centers, funerals … but we still have violations,” Tlaib said. “When Speaker (Mike) Johnson says ICE is doing what it was created to do, remember this when the funding comes up next week.”