Since Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis two weeks ago, conflict and protest there have continued to escalate. I’ve heard people say some version of: “Why didn’t she/why won’t they just comply with law enforcement? You’ll be fine if you don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”
Some in my local community have shared their perspective with me: Open borders and massive numbers of immigrants have increased crime in our country. We need to let I.C.E. do their job and deport criminal immigrants and fix what has been broken.
They believe I.C.E. action is necessary, and trust them to do this necessary work. Because they trust I.C.E., they believe only people who have broken the law to enter this country, only those who have committed crimes here, have anything to fear from I.C.E. So why not just comply?
Our political divisions, and the algorithms of social media, continue to make it harder and harder to even comprehend each other. Not only do we have different values; more and more we ask different questions, and see different stories, and are exposed to different events and speeches.
So I want to explain my perspective. I want to try and explain some of the experiences, questions, and values that some of us hold. I want to try and share the things that might lead us to not “just comply” with law enforcement or the government. Maybe if you are willing to read about that, it will raise some new questions for you. (I have many links to supporting evidence you can read for yourself.)
The TL:DR:
Because immigrants do not have a higher rate of criminal activity. I believe prosecution for criminal activity should not be different because of the color of your skin, or your ethnicity, or your citizenship.
I believe law enforcement must be bound by the rule of law. Might does not make right.
I believe the best way to preserve my rights is to preserve everyone’s rights.
And, I believe that giving more and more power to the state and excusing or justifying their violent use of power historically leads to an authoritarian state and ends freedoms for all.
I’ll start with a question about the assumption for the need for the I.C.E. crackdown. If massive numbers of immigrants have caused such a crime problem in our country, why do the statistics show that major crime has steadily diminished since the 1990’s? Additionally, study after study shows that immigrants (legal or otherwise) commit crimes at a lower rate than citizens. If those things are true, why are individual stories about immigrants committing heinous crimes highlighted as if they show a pattern, when there is no pattern?
Early in the I.C.E. crackdowns that began in the spring of 2025, many of us saw stories that I.C.E. was detaining more people than just those with a criminal record. Mothers and business owners and even those who have been VICTIMS, not perpetrators of crimes were detained and some deported.
Then many of us saw stories of I.C.E. stopping people based on the color of their skin or the language they spoke, and asking for identification. People sued and it went all the way to the Supreme Court. Shockingly to us, the Supreme Court upheld the ability of I.C.E. to make stops based on race or language for “typically brief” verification of citizenship. We couldn’t understand why a country supposedly based on laws and equality would uphold racial profiling.
I.C.E. activity seemed to be going far beyond deporting criminals. US citizens were detained in Florida, Portland, Alabama, California, and elsewhere.
Large scale I.C.E. presence and activation of the National Guard began in California, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, and other cities. Were these chosen because they have a higher number of immigrants? Chicago and three California cities are in the top 20, yes, but Minneapolis and Portland are not. Those two cities are known, however, for protesting government overreach.
These stories of widespread disturbing tactics led to many of us researching what could be legally done to stop practices that infringed on constitutional rights.
Suing and going all the way to the Supreme Court hadn’t stopped racial profiling. But we learned that the law says I.C.E. may not enter a private place without a specific warrant for a person. We learned that videoing and observing law enforcement is legal and a way to hold I.C.E. accountable for due process that is a constitutional right and the law of the land for everyone, citizen or not. We learned that I.C.E. officers have no jurisdiction over citizens of the United States. And, we reminded ourselves of the legal right to peacefully protest against policies and actions of a government that do not obey the law.
Some trust I.C.E. to do a necessary thing, and wonder why people don’t just comply. We see I.C.E. overstepping the law, and have learned that the only way to bring accountability is to document, protest, and not comply with illegal orders.
I.C.E. agents did not have any legal right to be law enforcement to Renee Good, a U.S. Citizen. She and her wife had a legal right to document what I.C.E. was doing. She was shot in the face while trying to leave the area.
The government has escalated the situation on an almost daily basis since then. Instead of expressing sorrow and restraint because a U.S. citizen was killed, she was labeled a domestic terrorist. Her character has been attacked and she has been blamed.
Instead of pausing I.C.E. activity to ensure that no further harm is done in the pursuit of deporting immigrant criminals, thousands more I.C.E. agents have been sent to Minneapolis. Active military have been put on standby to possibly be deployed. President Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act.
Instead of making sure that I.C.E. activity is legal and confined to finding and deporting criminals, they are continuing to massively expand raids and detentions. I.C.E. agents are grabbing people at gas stations, taking people off the street, raiding public schools, taking people who are going to doctor’s appointments out of their cars and detaining them, smashing down the doorway and pulling an older man who is a US citizen out of his house in his underwear and detaining him for hours before releasing him, and detaining a 5 year old to lure his parents.
I have friends who live in Minneapolis, and the consistent message is: it is far worse here than the media could possibly let you know.
Today’s news shows I.C.E. is expanding in Maine, and that a detainee was killed by asphyxiation in Texas.
To conclude, here are some of my questions for those who think what is happening in Minnesota is necessary to reduce crime by immigrants:
- Is ignoring constitutional rights and breaking legal process for I.C.E. worth whatever gains you hope for in decreasing crime?
- Do you want to live in a society where it is ok for government agents to break the law in order to accomplish some “greater good?”
- Have you thought about reasons why the government is targeting places known not for “illegal immigrants” but for protesters? Have you wondered why they are putting gas on the fire of tensions rather than trying to defuse? Who gains and who loses if and when the insurrection act is invoked and more and more force is used by the government?
- As we have all been frogs in a kettle with the water temperature rising rapidly for years now, would you take one huge step back and consider this? A woman was shot in her face and killed because thousands of I.C.E. agents have been sent to the streets of a city in Minnesota in the middle of winter. Is this the world you want?
*Some footnote-y type thoughts that you don’t have to read:
- This post is me trying to explain my perspective, in an attempt to cross our gaping divides. I won’t be responding to broad assertions like “do you just want open borders then?”
- This is my blog. I will delete/not publish any comments that I deem racist.
- What I am arguing for here is movement toward equal application of the law to all people, rather than a movement toward violence being used to enforce whatever the current administration deems correct. I am well aware that our country has a very poor track record of equal application of the law, and a history of using violence disproportionately on the marginalized. I know because of that, some want a complete restart with a new system. That is a different conversation than the one I am writing about here.
Greg your points are not in dispute with me but I would add that what has been happening does not appear to me to be peaceful. Agents have been shot at among other things…that is not peaceful.
I don’t know if you wrote this prior to Sundays events in St Paul but would be curious of your take on a church being stormed by protesters? Seems to me that is a huge blow to the ability for people to worship without fear of something like this happening.
Make no mistake ANY loss of life breaks my heart but I also believe our law enforcement should be able to do their jobs without fear of them being injured or killed. I also believe in our judicial system to then review each case and determine either release or deport.
What is your take on Obama (who is known by the moniker “Deporter in Chief “? Where was the outrage then? He deported 2,749,706 in 8 years.
For me this isn’t a race issue it is about entering our country the right way. If our doors had not been left wide open for the last administration and our current laws been observed we would not even be discussing this. We are a nation of immigrants and our nation has been a beacon of that and it should remain that way but all need to come in the proper way just like my ancestors and yours as well.
All of this being said I appreciate your views and they do make me think and I hope you feel the same about my thoughts.
Love you brother!
There are many concerns I have with your perspective, but I would like to comment on a couple of your points:
1. Regarding the number of people who were deported under the Obama presidency – for me it has nothing to do with being deported, I found this document helpful :
https://leitf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Enforcement-Priorities-Memo.pdf
We can all see the differences between the manner in which Obama’s deportations are happening compared to the manner in which Trump is handling things.
Get away from the mainstream media, you will find that under the Trump administration, innocent people are being put in horrible conditions without having the opportunity for due process, and in fact, many children are being incarcerated and facing horrible experiences.
For me, and honestly, any follower of Jesus Christ, it is the irresponsible manner in which people are being ‘hunted’ (and I do mean hunted), and captured, and incarcerated, many without evidence.
And yet, we have been here before.
Historical Examples
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882): The first major federal law restricting immigration, it explicitly banned Chinese laborers based on race.
Mexican Repatriation (1930s): During the Great Depression, approximately 1 to 2 million people of Mexican descent—up to 60% of whom were U.S. citizens—were forced, coerced, or tricked into leaving the country.
Japanese Internment (1940s): During World War II, the U.S. government forcibly detained over 120,000 Japanese Americans, the majority of whom were citizens, in concentration camps.
“Operation Wetback” (1954): A state-sponsored, racially charged campaign that used military-style tactics to deport over one million people, including U.S. citizens of Mexican descent.
Denial of Asylum to Haitians (1970s-80s): The U.S. government established a policy of automatic detention for Haitian boat people, subjecting them to different, harsher treatment than other refugee groups.
Modern and Systematic Mistreatment
Anti-Blackness in Immigration Enforcement: Black immigrants are disproportionately targeted by police and immigration authorities. While making up only 9% of the undocumented population, they represent over 20% of immigrants facing deportation on criminal grounds.
Family Separation Policies (“Zero Tolerance”): The 2018 policy resulted in the intentional separation of thousands of children, including infants, from their parents at the border, causing lasting trauma.
Abuse in Detention Facilities: Immigrants in detention frequently report inhumane conditions, including lack of food, water, medical care, and proper sanitation, often referring to facilities as hieleras (iceboxes) or perreras (dog pounds). Reports include sexual assault, physical abuse, and excessive use of solitary confinement, particularly against Black immigrants.
Medical Neglect and Coercion: Reports have emerged of inadequate care for pregnant women and, in some cases, allegations of forced hysterectomies and other procedures in detention centers.
Targeting of U.S. Citizens: Immigration agents have arrested and detained over 170 U.S. citizens, often based on racial profiling,, particularly targeting Hispanic individuals.
Criminalization of Asylum Seekers: Policies like Title 42, which were used to expel asylum seekers, including many from Haiti, without due process.
Thanks for your thoughts and responses, Brian. Here are my replies:
* To your point about agents being shot at—do you have links for that that I could review?
* About protesters entering the church: I do not believe that was right or helpful. I would not do it.
* I specifically framed this in a way that is about my beliefs and what I would do. I don’t really want to try and defend any attacks on I.C.E. agents or church protests. But regardless of what wrongs have been done by protesters, all the points I wrote still stand. Wrongs by protesters do not cancel out wrongs by I.C.E. agents.
* About where my outrage was when Obama was in office: to answer this, I must distinguish between what immigration policy is, and the enforcement of that policy. This post is about current enforcement of immigration policies, and I documented the ways the current enforcement is unconstitutional and against the law. There was a much greater attempt under Obama to respect constitutional rights and follow the law (not perfect, but light years better.) As for the immigration policy side, there is a video of Obama at a rally for his second term election where he stated he needed people to vote for different people in Congress to change immigration policy if people wanted fewer deportations. I wrote emails to Obama, my senators and my U.S. representative asking for a change in immigration policy to make clearer paths to citizenship and to expand asylum and refugee admissions.
* About your comment about entering the country the right way, how our ancestors did: I wholeheartedly agree. And one of the things I’ve learned over the last decade is how much more difficult it is to enter the country legally now than it was in the late 1800’s when Ellis Island was in full swing admitting our great grandparents.
*I do want changes in immigration policy to make it possible for people to enter the right way. I also wonder why there aren’t higher penalties for companies that hire undocumented workers, and why the only solution presented by the current administration is mass deportation. Why can companies benefit with cheap labor with no consequence?
I have a lot of other thoughts about policy, but again, that wasn’t the main point of this post. I hope what my post does is have people seriously consider how I.C.E. agents are acting unconstitutionally and illegally. Since I wrote this, DHS has changed the practice of I.C.E. agents, telling them to enter private residences door to door without a warrant. This is directly against the fourth amendment and there will have to be more lawsuits to stop this. During that time, I.C.E. agents will be going to door to door and breaking and entering.
Thanks for your thoughts and I am open to further conversation.