Story perspectives

Minneapolis Families Fear ICE; Community Rallies for Support

1/21/2026

Center

Volunteers Shield Families

In Minneapolis, ICE's significant crackdown has heightened fears, with families staying home.
Community volunteers, including TC Food Justice, are distributing food to those in need.
Volunteers have organized patrols around schools to shield families from ICE encounters after Renee Good's fatal shooting.
Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, and other officials criticize the heightened law enforcement presence as unnecessary, highlighting community solidarity.

Right

DSA Mobilizes Volunteers

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) plans to mobilize 4,000 volunteers in New York City to counter anticipated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
DSA organizers will set up a rapid response network to monitor ICE activities and use whistles to alert communities.
Organizers say visible crowd responses deter ICE actions.
The plan coincides with federal expansion of immigration enforcement, including a 1,500-bed detention facility in Chester, New York.

Left

Activists Defy ICE

In Los Angeles, Latino activists launched a grassroots response to increased ICE raids, coordinating via Signal and Zoom and forming rapid-response teams.
The movement spread to Chicago, where volunteers were trained to use orange whistles for warnings and display "Hands Off Chicago" signs.
Recently, Minneapolis has seen similar activism, with volunteers confronting ICE agents and recording their actions, signaling widespread defiance against federal immigration enforcement.

History

Historical Context

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 3, abolished discriminatory national quotas that favored European immigrants. This landmark legislation significantly increased immigration from Latin America and Asia, with over 1 million arrivals annually by the 1990s. Today, intensified ICE enforcement in cities like Minneapolis and Los Angeles highlights ongoing immigration tensions and the struggle for immigrant rights.

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Volunteers Shield Families

In Minneapolis, ICE's significant crackdown has heightened fears, with families staying home.
Community volunteers, including TC Food Justice, are distributing food to those in need.
Volunteers have organized patrols around schools to shield families from ICE encounters after Renee Good's fatal shooting.
Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, and other officials criticize the heightened law enforcement presence as unnecessary, highlighting community solidarity.

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