Minneapolis Activists Confront ICE Agents with Tactics Pioneered by 1960s Radicals

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In the months leading up to the 2024 election, a group called States at the Core began hosting regular Zoom trainings on 'ICE-watching' - monitoring the actions of federal immigration agents. These tactics, which have their roots in 1960s radical groups like the Black Panthers and the American Indian Movement, have been at the heart of the opposition to the Trump administration's immigration raids in Minneapolis. The ongoing presence of federal agents in the city has led to frequent street confrontations, with activists' unrelenting pursuit of the agents resulting in two fatal shootings that were captured on camera. The videos of these incidents have succeeded in drawing concessions from the administration, including the withdrawal of 700 federal agents from the city.

Why it matters

The resistance in Minneapolis over the past two months has not looked much like the organized opposition during Mr. Trump's first term, when large marches and demonstrations took cues from the Civil Rights movement. Instead, the most potent opposition has come from regular, neighborhood-level ICE-watch patrols, which have resulted in smaller, more direct confrontations with federal agents. This highlights the growing consensus among a broader left-liberal constituency that more confrontational tactics are necessary to resist the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.

The details

The trainings focus on documenting ICE activities and alerting others to their presence, sometimes using tactics - such as blowing whistles - that shade into disruption. Activists' guides in some cases link to resources for more directly confrontational civil-disobedience tactics. While most of these tactics are not new, their impact and the recent support for them from mainstream Democratic officials are unusual. In Minneapolis, ICE-watchers have been the most visible neighborhood opposition in a city where local officials have chosen to file lawsuits and denounce the federal presence in interviews, but have kept their own officers and agencies clear of direct confrontation.

• In the months leading up to the 2024 election, Jill Garvey gathered with colleagues and did some 'scenario planning'.
• Since then, States at the Core has hosted regular Zoom trainings in how to track and document the actions of federal immigration agents.
• On Wednesday, Tom Homan, Mr. Trump's border czar, announced the withdrawal of 700 federal agents from the city, a move that followed the reassignment of Gregory Bovino, the border patrol official who had served as the face of the Minneapolis operation.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.