Escalating tensions in Minnesota : NPR

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

The Department of Homeland Security says there are about 2,500 ICE agents on the ground in Minneapolis. The city is the latest target of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Last week, an officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good, and since then, protests and heated clashes have taken place across the city. NPR’s Jasmine Garsd covers immigration and she’s on the ground in Minneapolis. Hi, Jasmine.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Hello, Sarah.

MCCAMMON: If you could, give us a photo. What does Minneapolis look like right now?

GARSD: What really struck me was how quiet and very empty the streets of Minneapolis are today, especially in immigrant neighborhoods. But on many street corners you will see one or two people – civilians – patrolling neighborhoods. They monitor ICE agents. I spent time with some of these people yesterday morning. They stood guard in front of a mosque where people were praying. One woman I spoke to asked that we only use her initials, JB, because she was really afraid that ICE might retaliate against her. JB is 69 years old. She stood in freezing temperatures. It was snowing. As you will hear now, it was very windy. And I asked why she chose to be there.

JB: We have no choice. When I was young, I thought to myself: why did the Germans stay there while the Nazis intervened and took away all the Jews? Why did they do this? There comes a time when you have no choice but to be a voice for good things and counteract this darkness and evil with light.

MCCAMMON: So he’s a protester in Minneapolis. There were demonstrations every day. In fact, you went there this afternoon. What did you see?

GARSD: A far-right anti-immigration activist planned an event in downtown Minneapolis. It was very small. There were maybe a few hundred people who let this activist know he wasn’t welcome, but overall the low turnout, in part because a few days before this event, community discussions and neighbor groups were saying, didn’t show up. Don’t take the bait. And that really shows how organized Minnesotans are. It also speaks to the feeling that the situation could actually escalate, especially since President Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act.

MCCAMMON: That’s right, we’ve heard a lot about the Insurrection Act, which would allow a president to summon the military and the National Guard to conduct law enforcement activities. President Trump threatened to invoke it to quell unrest in Minneapolis. Where are we, Jasmine?

GARSD: Over the years, President Trump has often talked about invoking the Insurrection Act, and yes, he talked about it recently when talking about Minneapolis. But in recent days, he seems to have backtracked. Here he is speaking to journalists yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: If I needed it, I would use it. I don’t think there’s any reason to use it at the moment. But if I needed it, I would use it. It’s very powerful.

GARSD: Sarah, I should also mention that last night a federal judge in Minnesota issued an injunction. The judge ordered ICE agents not to retaliate or use pepper spray or other crowd dispersal tools against people who were peacefully protesting. But in a statement to NPR, a DHS spokesperson said that while the First Amendment does protect peaceful protests, quote, “rioters and terrorists have attacked law enforcement.”

MCCAMMON: Now, on another note, Jasmine, before we let you go, it was also announced that the Justice Department is investigating Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. What do we know about the progress of this investigation?

GARSD: Sources tell NPR that the Justice Department is investigating several Minnesota officials, including Walz and Frey, over an alleged plot to obstruct federal immigration agents. In response, Governor Walz issued a statement that said, quote, “weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is an authoritarian and dangerous tactic.” He added that “the only person not under investigation for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”

MCCAMMON: Jasmine Garsd covers immigration for NPR, joining us online from Minnesota. Thank you, Jasmine.

GARSD: Thank you.

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