Appeasement in Washington and Escalation on the Streets – Threats Against the Press and Minneapolis Remains in a State of Emergency

In Washington, the words suddenly sounded softer, staged and unconvincing, but softer. Donald Trump spoke of progress, of a similar sense of tact with Democratic Governor Tim Walz, of a good conversation with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. After weeks of harsh rhetoric and open threats, it seemed as if the president wanted to dial down tensions. But in Minneapolis and St. Paul, a different picture emerged on Wednesday morning. On the streets, there was no sign of relaxation. Immigration enforcement operations continued, unchanged, accompanied by protests, confrontations, and growing nervousness. Federal agents were once again moving through residential neighborhoods, activists followed them, making their presence visible, warning neighbors, keeping their distance and yet maintaining constant eye contact. Whistles, shouts, brief car chases through side streets. The dynamic of the past weeks continued, as if the conciliatory tones from the White House had never existed.

This map shows reported operations and sightings of US immigration authorities in the greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area. Each marker represents a single incident or observation reported by those affected or by witnesses.

Shortly before, the president had made a personnel change and sent his highest-ranking border adviser to Minnesota to lead the operation. At the same time, he publicly praised conversations with the Democratic leadership of the state. Words that sounded like a course correction. But on the streets everything remained the same, and Trump’s tone shifted again. The searches, the checks, the aggressive presence of multiple federal agencies continued to shape daily life.

Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, “Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.” This is after having had a very good conversation with him. Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE! Und das, nachdem ich ein sehr gutes Gespräch mit ihm geführt hatte. Könnte ihm bitte jemand aus seinem inneren Kreis erklären, dass diese Aussage einen sehr schwerwiegenden Verstoß gegen das Gesetz darstellt und dass er MIT DEM FEUER SPIELT!

Press and media representatives are now no longer welcome at all. Does that interest anyone? – No

In a neighborhood in north Minneapolis, press and media representatives were no longer welcome at all. When people exited their vehicles to film the situation, they were pushed back by officers of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, threatened with arrest, and ordered to get back into their cars despite clearly identifying themselves as press. BOP officers are not police forces for public space. They are not trained for crowd control or protest situations. They have no routine in dealing with the media. Yet they are suddenly deployed. Multiple agencies were operating at the same time. From inside the vehicle, it was possible to see at least one person being sprayed with irritant, another being arrested, and car windows being smashed. Whether those detained were target individuals or protesters remained unclear.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was also in Minnesota at the time, stated that 16 people had been arrested on Wednesday alone. The charges included assault, resistance, or obstruction of law enforcement officers. Further arrests were to be expected. On social media, she made it unmistakably clear that nothing would stop the president and the Department of Justice from enforcing the law.

Protest against Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is currently in Minneapolis – the mood is increasingly tipping

In the afternoon, the focus shifted to the suburb of Brooklyn Center. There, several federal agents appeared at a single-family home. One knocked repeatedly on the door, another stated that they were looking for a man who had been deported twice and convicted of domestic violence. The person sought had fled into the house, but no judicial search warrant was present. This is precisely the point at which a central conflict has been igniting for weeks: federal agents cite administrative orders, while courts clearly distinguish between such orders and judicial warrants, especially when it comes to forcibly entering private homes.

Activists stood here as well, whistles in hand, along the roadside. One agent, visibly annoyed, commented that they would sooner call the police on them than cooperate with them. As the agents withdrew, a resident spoke up. The people in question, she said, were good neighbors. They came to garage sales, kept their gardens tidy, greeted others politely. She no longer believed a word from the authorities, not even regarding earlier deportations in the neighborhood. Her trust lay with the people she knew, not with the agents at her door.

The fear in the affected communities has remained. Many families hardly leave their homes anymore, numerous Latin American businesses remain closed. A grocery vendor in Minneapolis reported that of the many migrant-run stalls in his market, only one was still open. For weeks, none of the others had returned, and no one was planning to reopen. The anxiety was omnipresent. Even the withdrawal of a well-known border patrol commander had changed nothing. The methods remained the same, as did the mistrust.

Hanging over everything are still the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the intensive care nurse who was shot and killed over the weekend during an encounter with federal agents. On Wednesday, a Vietnam veteran, Donnie McMillan, knelt at the improvised memorial at the site of the shooting, placed a handwritten sign, and saluted. He remembered the man from the hospital, the encounters, the help. For him, it was clear that this was not how a state should act. Federal authorities later stated that the two officers involved had been placed on leave since the incident.

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was preparing to speak with business owners about the impact of the operations. One day earlier, she had been confronted at a town hall meeting by a man and sprayed with a strongly smelling liquid while criticizing the government.

“You raise your voice, I erase your voice.”

Between Washington and Minneapolis, a gap therefore continues to gape. There, words about de-escalation. Here, operations, irritants, arrests, fear. As long as these two levels do not converge, the assurances from the White House remain abstract. For the people on the streets of Minneapolis, nothing has changed so far, and the struggle continues.

To be continued .....