Full Breakdown
“They’re Here” Documentary Seeks to Expose ICE Violence in Minneapolis
9/8/2026, 11:25:48 AM
“They’re Here” Documentary Debuts at Venice Film Festival
Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller premiered the 25-minute short “They’re Here” at the Venice Film Festival. The film follows volunteer networks in Minneapolis as they monitor the movements of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a large-scale deportation sweep earlier this year. It intercuts footage of unmarked ICE vehicles, masked agents confronting protesters on snow-covered streets, and handcuffed detainees boarding deportation flights, while also telling the story of a Mexican man hiding from authorities with his son’s help.
Context: Trump Administration’s Mass Deportation Drive and Minneapolis Sweep
President Donald Trump launched a nationwide deportation campaign immediately after taking office in January 2025, arguing that individuals who entered the United States illegally must be sent home. ICE carried out a high-profile operation in Minneapolis that sparked weeks of demonstrations and confrontations. During the sweep, immigration officers shot dead two U.S. citizens, an incident that intensified public outcry. After months of unrest, the administration scaled back the operation.
Filmmakers’ Intent and Community Response
Poitras said the documentary was made urgently to “show what’s happening” and to counter what she described as a normalization of violence in mainstream media. Mueller added that the filmmakers aimed to document both the scope of the anti-migrant sweep and the community’s response, emphasizing that local resistance focused on documentation and protecting neighbors rather than direct confrontation with ICE.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The reality is a nightmare. The entire country is under attack and immigrants are living in fear throughout the United States right now,” — Laura Poitras
- “In the mainstream media, this kind of violence is being normalized. We believe very strongly in the power of cinema to denormalize this violence and to show what’s happening,” — Laura Poitras
