Right-wing media figures are lashing out at community members in Minnesota for using whistles to alert others of federal immigration enforce
Payton Armstrong at MMFA:
Right-wing media figures are lashing out at community members in Minnesota for using whistles to alert others of federal immigration enforcement in the area, asserting that whistles should be “considered a violent weapon” and that their use constitutes “interference” with immigration enforcement operations or even “assault.” Activists and residents have explained that whistles are “a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras when enforcement activity happens in neighborhoods.” Bystander video, which has sometimes contradicted official Department of Homeland Security statements, has become critical in multiple recent incidents like the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whom DHS officials initially baselessly accused of being domestic terrorists.
Bystanders using whistles have become ubiquitous with immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis — in part as “a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras”
ICE operations in Minneapolis have transformed everyday life for residents with the killing of two U.S. citizens, the detainment of thousands of migrants and community members, and reports of widespread use of force and chemical irritants like pepper balls and tear gas on crowds. NBC News reported that “since December, the surge of federal immigration personnel to Minnesota led to the apprehensions of more than 3,000 migrants in what the Department of Homeland Security has called ‘the largest immigration enforcement operation ever.’” During that time, two U.S. citizens — Alex Pretti and Renee Good — were shot and killed by masked federal agents just weeks apart; at least four children were apprehended by ICE, two while they were on their way to school; and federal agents have “regularly deploy[ed] chemical irritants to deter observers and protesters.” [NBC News, 1/27/26; MPR News, 1/28/26; CNN, 1/20/26]
The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that “the sight and sound of whistles have become common around the Twin Cities amid the ongoing immigration operation and organized resistance.” CBS News reported that “organizers and volunteers say the whistles are meant to be an attention grabber and a way to quickly draw witnesses and cameras when enforcement activity happens in neighborhoods.” Community members and local businesses, including a toy store and a bar, have reportedly given away thousands. [The Minnesota Star Tribune, 1/20/26; CBS News, 1/14/26; MinnPost, 12/15/25]
Stella Carlson, who recorded critical video of agents shooting and killing Pretti, told CNN that she decided to come to the scene after hearing whistles while driving to work. Carlson’s video contradicted initial DHS statements that Pretti “brandished” a gun at agents, and according to CNN, “Carlson’s video, and the ensuing outrage surrounding Pretti’s killing, placed the Trump administration under immense pressure that eventually led to the White House pulling Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official who had led the surge in Minneapolis and several other American cities, out of Minnesota.” Carlson explained to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper why she personally carries a whistle, saying: “When we walk around with the whistles around our neck, it's not that we have — like we know we can't do much. But what we do know is that we can let our community at large know when we're walking around, like, I see you. And if you're stuck in your apartment, I want you to see me. I'm another person walking around who is here to protect you as best I can with my whistle and my phone.” [CNN, 1/28/26, 1/25/26]
Attorney Tracy Roy told The Minnesota Star Tribune that while physically intervening with ICE activity is illegal, “bystanders certainly can make noise, blow whistles and alert presence.” [The Minnesota Star Tribune, 1/20/26]
Right-wing media pundits make frivolous complaints about anti-ICE activists using whistles to warn others of ICE activity in the area.
