COLUMN: Minnesota in the Crosshairs of ICE—When Trump Plays with Fire and Loses Control

Faced with ICE’s brutality, Minnesotans have responded with organized, determined, and resourceful resistance. From the very first days of the operation, solidarity networks sprang up. Neighbors keep watch on the streets, alert others when agents are present, and support the most vulnerable. Lawyers are offering free legal assistance. Churches are opening their doors to protect families under threat. “We’re a tight-knit community,” explains Nate, a real estate agent who participates in citizen patrols. “When ICE knocks on a door, ten neighbors are there to film, to bear witness, to protect. Because we know one thing: if we don’t do it, no one else will.”

This resistance reached unprecedented levels following the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Thousands of people marched in the streets, despite freezing temperatures, to demand an end to the operation. Businesses closed their doors in protest. Athletes, such as the women’s national ice hockey team, used their platforms to denounce ICE’s violence. “The world is watching us,” said Lee Stecklein, a player from Minnesota. “Now is the time to show what’s happening here. To say no to terror. To say no to injustice.”

Yet this resistance comes at a price. Arbitrary arrests are on the rise. So is intimidation. ICE agents do not hesitate to target activists, follow them, and harass them. “They want to scare us,” says Monica Byron. “They want us to back down. To stay silent. To accept it. But we won’t. Because we know one thing: if we give in today, they’ll be back tomorrow. And next time, it’ll be worse.”

I’m thinking of them tonight. Of those Minnesotans who are resisting. Who are standing up. Who are fighting. Who refuse to give in. And I tell myself: this is what democracy means. Not speeches. Not promises. Not empty declarations. But people. Ordinary people. People who, in the face of terror, choose courage. Who, in the face of brutality, choose solidarity. Who, in the face of injustice, choose resistance.

And what strikes me is their determination. Their refusal to be intimidated. Their refusal to be divided. Their refusal to be broken. Because they know one thing: when a government uses terror as a weapon, when it sends masked agents into your streets, when it shoots citizens down in front of their homes, it is no longer a matter of politics. It is a matter of survival. A matter of dignity. A matter of humanity.

So today, as Trump plays the moderate, as Homan speaks of “success,” I tell myself: the real victory is right here. In these streets of Minneapolis. In these determined faces. In these voices that refuse to be silenced. Because that is what democracy is. Not a man. Not a party. Not an administration. But a people. A people who stand up. A people who resist. A people who say no. And that—no ICE operation, no partial withdrawal, no empty statement—will ever be able to erase it.

From the very start of the operation, the Trump administration resorted to a barrage of lies and manipulation. First, there were the fallacious justifications. ICE claimed to be targeting “foreign criminals.” Yet the arrests primarily involved people with no criminal record, detained for minor offenses—or no offenses at all. Then came the denials. After Renee Good’s death, federal authorities initially claimed she was armed. Video footage proved otherwise. After Alex Pretti’s death, they claimed he had resisted arrest. Witness accounts contradicted this account.

Then came the attempts at blackmail. The administration demanded that Minnesota hand over its voter rolls, threatening to keep up the pressure otherwise. An illegal demand—a flagrant violation of citizens’ rights. “This is extortion,” denounced Steve Simon, Minnesota’s secretary of state. “They’re telling us: give us what we want, or we’ll continue to spread terror.” A terror that has already cost the lives of two Americans and continues to traumatize thousands more.

Finally, there have been empty promises. The withdrawal of 700 officers, presented as a gesture of “restraint,” is nothing more than a public relations ploy. The remaining 1,300 officers continue their raids. Arbitrary arrests continue. Schools, hospitals, and residential neighborhoods remain under surveillance. “They want us to believe they’re easing up,” explains a local activist. “But the reality is that they won’t back down until we’ve forced them to leave. Not before.”

What revolts me about this whole situation is the sheer scale of the lies. Lies they’re openly admitting to. Organized lies. Lies that cost lives. Because when a government lies about the reasons for an operation, when it lies about its targets, when it lies about its methods, it’s no longer a matter of communication. It’s a matter of legitimacy. A matter of trust. A matter of democracy.

And today, as Trump speaks of “gentleness,” as Homan announces a partial withdrawal, I ask myself: How can anyone believe a single word from this administration? How can anyone trust people who lied about the circumstances of Renee Good’s death? Who lied about the reasons for the operation? Who lied about their intentions? The truth is that this operation was never about security. It was a show of force. An act of revenge. An attempt to punish a state that dared to resist.

And the worst part is that these lies don’t stop at Minnesota’s borders. They’re spreading. They’re infecting everything. They’re showing all Americans what awaits them if they dare to demand the truth. If they dare to demand accountability. If they dare to say no. Because today, it’s Minneapolis. Tomorrow, it will be somewhere else. And so on, until lies have become the norm. Until the truth has become a threat. So no, we cannot let ourselves be fooled. No, we cannot look the other way. No, we cannot accept that lies become a weapon. Because if we do, we will have lost far more than a battle. We will have lost our soul.

The resistance of Minnesotans is leading the way. Three courses of action are essential. First, an independent investigation into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as into ICE’s methods. Not a federal investigation, but one conducted by neutral bodies, with real authority and complete transparency. Second, an immediate and complete withdrawal of ICE agents from Minnesota. Not a partial withdrawal. Not a reduction in personnel. A complete, unconditional withdrawal. Because as long as these agents are there, the terror will continue. As long as they are there, lives will be in danger.

Finally, there is the question of accountability. Because this operation is not the work of a few overzealous agents. It is a political decision. A decision taken by Trump, by Homan, by an entire administration that has chosen terror as its method of governance. And today, they must be held accountable. Not in five years. Not in ten years. Now. Because if we don’t do it, who will? If we don’t watch over them, who will?

And then there’s us. The citizens. The voters. The observers. Our role is not to look away. Our role is not to blindly believe in promises. Our role is to demand accountability. To demand the truth. To demand justice. Because if we don’t, we’ll all be complicit. Complicit in this terror. Accomplices to these lies. Accomplices to this injustice. And today, in the face of what’s happening in Minnesota, in the face of Trump, in the face of ICE, we no longer have the right to remain silent. We no longer have the right to stand by and do nothing. We no longer have the right to give up.

I don’t know what the future holds for Minnesota. Maybe ICE will eventually leave. Maybe justice will eventually prevail. Maybe, in a few years, we’ll look back and say, “In the end, the resistance paid off.” ” But one thing is certain: what is happening in Minneapolis today is a test. A test for Trump. A test for America. A test for all of us.

Because when a government sends masked agents into your streets, when it shoots citizens in front of their homes, when it uses terror as a weapon, it’s no longer a matter of politics. It’s a matter of democracy. A matter of humanity. A matter of dignity. And today, faced with this test, we no longer have the right to look away. We no longer have the right to delude ourselves. We no longer have the right to believe that everything will be all right. Because if we accept this terror, if we accept these lies, if we accept this injustice, we will have lost far more than a battle. We will have lost what makes us democrats. We will have lost what makes us human.

So yes, let’s demand an investigation. Let’s demand a complete withdrawal. Let’s demand accountability. Because that is what democracy is. Not fear. Not submission. Not silence. But resistance. Truth. Justice. And today, more than ever, that resistance is ours.

A Lesson in Courage in the Face of Tyranny

What is happening in Minnesota is not an incident. It is not a mistake. It is a choice. A political choice. A choice made by an administration that has made terror, lies, and repression its methods of governance. And today, this choice poses a fundamental question to us: Are we willing to accept this? Are we willing to live in an America where masked officers can invade our streets, arrest our neighbors, and shoot our fellow citizens? Are we willing to live in an America where justice is meted out with batons and bullets? Are we willing to live in an America where resistance is a crime?

The answer from Minnesotans is clear. No. They said no. They resisted. They stood up. They showed that, even in the face of terror, even in the face of repression, even in the face of lies, democracy can survive. But that takes courage. It takes determination. It takes solidarity. And above all, we must understand one thing: freedom isn’t given. It’s taken. It’s defended. It’s earned. Every day. Every fight. Every act of resistance.

So yes, Minnesota today is a mirror. A mirror of what America could become if we let it. A mirror of what we stand to lose if we look away. But it is also a mirror of what we can be. Of what we can accomplish. Of what we can defend. So today, as Trump speaks of “kindness,” as Homan announces a partial withdrawal, let us remember this: true kindness is not less terror. It’s more justice. True moderation isn’t less lying. It’s more truth. True security isn’t less resistance. It’s more democracy. And that is a fight that concerns us all.

I look at these images. These faces. These streets. These people who are resisting. Who are standing up. Who are saying no. And I tell myself: this is America. Not the America of speeches. Not the America of promises. Not the America of empty declarations. But the America of the people. The America of struggles. The America of resistance. The America that, in the face of terror, chooses courage. In the face of lies, chooses truth. In the face of injustice, chooses justice.

And today, as Trump plays the moderate, as Homan speaks of “success,” I tell myself: the real victory is right here. In these streets of Minneapolis. In these determined faces. In these voices that refuse to be silenced. Because that is what democracy is. Not a man. Not a party. Not an administration. But a people. A people who stand up. A people who resist. A people who say no. And that—no ICE operation, no partial withdrawal, no empty statement—will ever be able to erase it.

So yes, let’s keep resisting. Let’s keep demanding. Let’s keep fighting. Because that’s what America is. Not fear. Not submission. Not silence. But resistance. Truth. Justice. And today, more than ever, that resistance is ours.

Signed, Jacques Provost