When we launched our rapid response effort late last year, it was because we knew the truth: ICE is a young agency with barely two decades of history and almost no real checks or accountability. They operationalize their agency to target neighbors, intimidate friends, and make our communities feel small and powerless. Not to keep families together and safe.

After the 2024 presidential election, when we saw the tides turning, our community moved quickly to build a legal observer program grounded on following our constitutional rights and peaceful non-violent deescalation. We wanted to make it clear that when federal agents show up in the Twin Cities, they are not moving in the shadows. They will see a community that stands together across race and background, a community that refuses to let our friends and neighbors be taken without legal oversight.

We know the federal playbook. Agents show up sometimes with a warrant, and use it as a doorway to sweep up as many workers, their families, and community members as they can. It is a tactic designed to sow fear and division. It harms all of us. 

Even with the use of a judicial warrant, we have no guarantee from these agencies that people will be treated humanely or that they will have due process. There is no guarantee that neighbors will not inadvertently become collateral damage in these situations.

So today and every day, we show up to legally observe, protect our people, and document everything. If anyone is harmed, we will seek accountability. We will use every legal tool available and every piece of information gathered to support our friends and defend our community. 

This is how we keep each other safe.