Unprecedented protests against ice across the US

Hakikul Islam Khokan

Unprecedented anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests spread across the United States on Friday centered on the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thousands of people took to the streets to demand an end to operations by federal immigration agency Ice and the withdrawal of federal agents from Minnesota. The anger intensified after the shooting deaths of two US citizens by federal immigration agents this month. Khabar IBNNews. On January 30 (Friday), hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Minneapolis despite freezing cold. Families with children, elderly couples, college students and civil rights activists participated in the protest. Many held placards reading “No ICE”, “Stop the Raids” and “End Federal Brutality”. Protesters complain that the presence of heavily armed and masked federal agents has turned the city into a de facto military zone. President Donald Trump has deployed 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area as part of a nationwide crackdown on immigration. That number is nearly five times the total membership of the Minneapolis Police Department. Regular patrols by agents armed with tactical gear have caused panic and anger among local residents. Protesters say the crackdown threatens civil liberties not just of immigrants, but of the entire city. Katia Kagan, who participated in the protest, said her parents came to the United States as Russian Jews hoping for safety and a better life. In his words, “I stand here for the American dream that my family came to this country in search of.” And Kim, a 65-year-old meditation teacher, called the operation a “full-scale fascist attack” by the federal government against citizens. The movement was not limited to Minnesota. Students and teachers boycotted classes in states from California to New York declaring a ‘National Day of Protest’. According to organizers, around 250 protests were held in 46 states. In big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, “No work. No school.No shopping. The event was held under the slogan “Stop funding ICE”. Posters reading “sanctuary campus” and “fascists not welcome here” were seen at DePaul University in Chicago.
About 50 teachers and staff from local schools marched in the Minneapolis neighborhood where slain Alex Pretty and Renee Goode were shot. They said that it is their moral responsibility to stand against this kind of campaign to protect the mental safety and civil rights of the students. The stars of the music world also came forward to show solidarity in the movement. Legendary rock musician Bruce Springsteen performed his new song “Streets of Minneapolis” at a fundraiser for the victims of Minneapolis. The song quickly became a symbol of the protestors’ resistance.
Meanwhile, mixed messages are coming from the White House. While President Trump said the situation could be somewhat “de-escalated”, he made it clear that the operation was not being called off. He has full confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, writing on social media that she is “doing a great job” and that the border crisis is already under control.
The events in Minneapolis caused a stir within the federal administration as well. Jared Smith, Acting Chief of the Minneapolis FBI Field Office, was removed from his post and reassigned to Washington. At the same time, former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested and charged federally in connection with a protest at a church. Appearing in court, Lemon pleaded not guilty, saying it was a direct attack on the freedom of the press. According to a report in the New York Times, an internal memo from ICE expanded the powers of agents to arrest without a warrant. This will allow even lower-level agents to conduct massive raids to catch suspected undocumented immigrants. After the news broke, civil rights groups expressed renewed concern. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll,Public support for Trump’s immigration policies has sunk to its lowest point in his second term after videos of heavily armed and masked agents acting aggressively on the streets of Minneapolis went viral on social media. To deal with the situation, Tom Homan, the border coordinator of the Trump administration, went to Minneapolis and said that in the future, there will be a return to targeted operations instead of widespread street arrests.
But Tim Walz, the Democrat governor of Minnesota, cast doubt on this assurance, saying that the withdrawal of federal forces and the complete cessation of this “cruel operation” is the only effective solution to ensure the safety of people. In this turbulent situation, educational institutions and public life are also disrupted across the United States. In Aurora, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona, many schools were temporarily closed due to fears of widespread absenteeism. According to analysts, the movement that started in Minneapolis is no longer just a state issue;It has become a major political and social signal at the national level surrounding the Trump administration’s immigration policy.