By Amirah Idris
On an ordinary day in Minnesota, people went out expecting to return home, unaware that for some, that routine would be interrupted by an ICE raid. As families were left in fear and uncertainty, the public narrative was being shaped on national television.
We are watching history repeat itself under a different name, with the same consequences, while families are torn apart and fear is normalized. I am writing this not just as a journalist, but as a student, a daughter, an aunt, and a Minnesotan who is tired of being told that this is safe when it feels like anything but. Silence has never protected anyone, and pretending this doesn’t concern us only allows it to continue. What is happening in Minnesota is not distant or abstract. It is here, and it is affecting real people in real time.
I am angry that history is repeating itself in a state that once promised accountability and change. I am angry that public sympathy is extended more readily to law enforcement narratives than to the adults who never made it back to their children, the parents, the kids, the adults, separated from their families, and the lives lost due to unnecessary enforcement actions. I am angry that these actions are defended in the name of safety when nothing about this moment feels safer for the people living here. Minnesota was beginning to heal, to breathe, to believe that progress was possible, and yet fear has returned to everyday life. I am angry that I now feel the need to watch over my shoulder when my only concerns should be my education, my future, and simply existing without fear in the place I call home.
Two St. Kate’s students shared their thoughts with me.
Caity (Psychology):
“What’s happening right now doesn’t line up with the way officials keep saying the city is ‘safer.’ A lot of people around me feel more scared than protected, especially watching ICE take people away in broad daylight. Neighbors, family members, and even U.S. citizens who are just trying to help, speak up, or stand up for someone’s right to be here. Seeing citizens detained or pushed aside for simply getting in the way or asking questions makes it feel like compassion itself is being treated as a threat. When leaders say this is about safety, it’s hard to believe, because safety shouldn’t look like fear in our communities, families being torn apart, or people afraid to leave their homes. It feels like control and punishment are being prioritized over humanity, and that doesn’t build trust, it breaks it.”
Hanan (Nursing):
“I think people should be able to use self-defense when they’re being mistreated. ICE is taking U.S. citizens into custody, detaining people, and even killing innocent, defenseless individuals for no real reason, and it’s absolutely disgusting. People of color shouldn’t have to carry passports everywhere or be afraid to go outside or to work. ICE deals with immigration, not violent crime, yet they carry guns like police, which makes this even more terrifying. Some agents are trigger-happy. It’s disturbing that I even see people of color within ICE. How are you going to go against your own people as if you’re going to be off the hook? You can still be detained off the clock yourself.”
These student voices point to a growing sense of fear and mistrust that contradicts claims of safety surrounding ICE operations in Minnesota. What they describe is not protection, but harm. Harm to families, communities, and the basic sense of humanity people deserve to feel in their own neighborhoods.
In response, community members and advocates have launched a petition calling for ICE to be removed from Minnesota, demanding policies that prioritize safety without fear, accountability without violence, and dignity over intimidation. If you’re not sure what to do if ICE approaches you or you’re not that familiar with your rights you can visit CAIR Minnesota's website and look at the “Know your rights” resources. For those who believe no one should be afraid to go to work, walk outside, or exist in their own community, these messages and petitions below offer a way to turn outrage into action.
Lastly, the question is no longer what’s happening. It’s what we’re willing to do about it.
Click the links below for the indicated resources.
Petitions to sign to BAN U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Action Network and NILC
Know your rights resources (CAIR Minnesota) By Jaylani Hussein
