Minnesota Olympians, other athletes speak out on federal immigration agents in Minneapolis : NPR
Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins of Afton, Minnesota, celebrates with a flag during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Matthias Hangst/Getty Images AsiaPac
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Matthias Hangst/Getty Images AsiaPac
MILAN — The Winter Olympics are set to open this Friday in Italy, some 4,600 miles from Minneapolis, the epicenter of the outcry over the Trump administration’s harsh immigration enforcement tactics.
As U.S. athletes turn their attention to the Games here, some — including several from Minnesota, home to some of Team USA’s biggest stars — have spoken out in the wake of the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in January.
“I want to make sure you know who I’m running for when I get to the starting line at the Olympics,” cross-country skiing star and three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins wrote. in a statement she posted on her Instagram Saturday alongside a photo of her celebrating with an American flag at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
“I am running for an American people who stand for love, acceptance, compassion, honesty and respect for others. I do not stand for hatred, violence or discrimination,” the message continued. Diggins, 34, grew up in Afton, Minn., less than an hour’s drive from downtown Minneapolis. She is scheduled to compete in six cross-country events at the Olympics this month and could challenge for a medal in all of them.
The day after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed by Customs and Border Protection agents on a Minneapolis street, Team USA hockey player Kelly Pannek interrupted a postgame news conference for her professional team, the Minnesota Frost, to call aggressive immigration enforcement “unnecessary and just plain awful.”
“It’s obviously very heavy,” said Pannek, a native of the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, as Frost teammate and U.S. team member Taylor Heise — another Minnesota native — nodded. “What I am most proud to represent are the tens of thousands of people who show up on the coldest days of the year to stand up and fight for what they believe in.”
Other Olympians who are not from Minnesota, including snowboarders Stacy Gaskill of Denver and Bea Kim of Palos Verdes, California, spoke out before the Games. “The Olympic Games are more than just a sport. They represent global unity and peace,” wrote Kim, 19 in a post on Sunday. “Diversity is what makes the United States so special. It is woven into the very fabric of our country.”
Winter Olympic athletes join a chorus of prominent athletes who have spoken out against the Trump administration’s tactics in Minneapolis.
Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, wrote that Pretti “was murdered”, and three-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart held a sign reading “Abolish ICE” during a 3-on-3 Unrivaled league game last week. “I think when human lives are at stake, it’s more serious than anything else,” she told a news conference.
In Milan, a reception area for friends and family of Team USA athletes was renamed this weekend to remove the word “ice” from the name.
In a statement, the three governing bodies that manage the new “Winter House” said the new name would better suit the intent of the space, which was originally called “Ice House.”
“Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private, distraction-free space where athletes, their families and friends can come together to celebrate the unique Winter Games experience,” read a statement released by US Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speed Skating about the name change, which was first reported by USA Today. “This name reflects that vision and connects to the season and the event.”
