Hey everyone! I hope you can keep Minnesota in your thoughts today as the Twin Cities is doing a general strike and folks are taking to the streets. It's -21F right now with a high of -12F (about -29C to -24C) which just might be too cold for ICE.
I was originally just going to reblog my "how you can help" post, with food drives and other things, in part because of today but also because rumor has it that ICE has been trying to lure people out with flyers promising "food support". So if you can give to a vetted, established group, please do, so these groups can have the resources to cover immigrants and other folks who can't leave their houses. However, I had enough to say that I'm making it a separate post.
Remember they aren't just targeting "illegals" or criminals or whatever the GOP is trying to claim. The elderly Hmong man they forced out of his house in his bathrobe was a naturalized citizen, and the family of 5-year-old Liam Ramos had come through via legal channels and were regularly making their court dates (despite Vance's lies, which makes sense as he is a self-admitted liar). The Target employees yanked out of their place of employment, detained, and injured were both legal citizens. They've even stopped and threatened off-duty police officers solely due to race. And I don't even need to emphasize how fucked up it is that they have detained Indigenous Americans.
We also know that Renee Good was only observing actions and was obeying the instructions to leave, and they have arrested other observers, who are within their legal rights to witness and document police ("police," ICE aren't even good enough to be cops) action in Minnesota.
Regardless of how you personally feel about immigration and borders and how ICE should not be doing this to anybody, please remember these facts when talking to folks outside of your political circles. Because yes, obviously they shouldn't be doing this to anybody, but sometimes changing hearts and minds requires you to meet people where they're at. It's hard to introduce the topic to your uncle sometimes, but it might be easier to go, "Holy shit, they detained a 5-year-old who came here 'the right way,' isn't that fucked up? Maybe they should have more oversight."
If you are in Minnesota, stay safe. Consider blurring other folks' faces in protest photos but also document. Protest peacefully. If you can't protest for any reason, again, that's okay. Do what you can. Support where you can.
If you're outside of Minnesota, thank you for your help and support. Please donate if you can. Do your local protests if you want.
If you're in the US, consider calling your reps. 5calls.org has scripts about defunding DHS, impeaching Kristi Noem, and general upset about ICE. Also consider calling your reps if they're doing a good job, or at least, the specific action you want them to do. (I called my rep's office to express approval of something last week and the staffer almost cried I swear to God. They hear nothing but anger.)
And everyone, just be nice to each other. Things are hard right now.
It's -21 as I write this. That's much too cold for ICE but not too cold for Minnesotans. Folks are gonna show up in their knit yellow-and-purple pompom hats and fifteen layers. And eventually, the regime is gonna figure out what Minnesotans have known for a long, long time: No matter how bleak it looks, no matter how long winter lasts, ICE always melts eventually.
