Sergio Martinez Beltran
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Well, they have a lot of questions.
And, you know, after what they've gone through over the past month, people here are super skeptical about anything the federal government says.
I mean, President Trump said last night there would not be a pullback of federal agents in Minnesota.
And we continue to see immigration agents making arrests.
So the fear continues.
And many people say even if ICE hypothetically leaves the state, let's say tomorrow,
there will be lingering effects.
For example, it's the end of the month, and there are many immigrants who have not left their homes in weeks, or their primary breadwinner has been arrested by ICE, so they could miss rent.
Now, mutual aid groups have been paying for some of those bills, but they're not sure how long they can keep it up, and they're calling on the governor to implement an eviction moratorium.
So, you know, many residents in Minneapolis are, I would say, cautiously optimistic, and they have vowed to continue to protest until this surge ends.
Okay, so what are they going to do next, the protesters, I mean?
Yeah, there is another general strike planned.
Exactly a week ago, there was a big statewide strike here in Minnesota, similar to what's expected here today.
That turnout stretched for blocks and blocks in downtown Minneapolis, and it was 20 degrees colder than it was today.
So there could be a bigger turnout this time.
On the other hand, Steve, the morning after that strike last week, Alex Prady was killed by Border Patrol agents, and that has had a chilling effect on some of the activists here.
One community organizer told me she's noticed an increase in fear among people doing simple things like delivering groceries to their neighbors.
So there's this feeling like everybody's taking it day by day and things have the potential to become extremely volatile again.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, two of the federal agents involved in the killing of Alex Bredy have been placed on administrative leave, something the department says is standard protocol.
Here in Minneapolis, people continue to express their frustration and anger against ICE agents