What is happening in Minnesota?
Citizens of Minnesota reacted strongly to the Trump government’s deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents in their streets, which began on the first of December 2025. This was conducted under the guise of addressing a major fraud scandal that has haunted the state since 2020. By late December, protests against this movement had become widespread.
On 6th January, in a move that could only escalate the situation, the Department for Homeland Security announced it was sending more officers into the area in what was described as “the largest immigration enforcement operation ever carried out”. The mass numbers of officers on the streets of Minneapolis and St Paul gave a feeling to those living there that they are no longer in the once labelled ‘the land of the free’ but, in fact, are in a totalitarian police state.
Renee Good was shot dead in her car on the 7th of January, one day after 2,000 more agents were sent to her city. Without waiting for an official report or even basic information, the Trump administration immediately began to condemn her actions, stating she had committed an act of “domestic terrorism” by attempting to drive into the officer. Video evidence and witness reports showed Good steering away from the officer who took her life.
In response, mass protests occurred on January 10th throughout the country. The outrage against the government killing a US citizen, with no repercussions, drove tens of thousands to the streets opposing ICE’s actions. Minnesotans went above and beyond by holding a general strike on the 23rd of January. In temperatures below freezing, as many as 50,000 people joined in, with many local businesses closing for the day. Multiple different outcries were heard, all protesting government actions: the killing of Renee Good, the viral photo of a 5-year-old being detained, ICE agents forcibly entering homes without a warrant, and the violent nature of ICE’s methods.
This did little to deter ICE, as once again, on the 24th of January, they killed a US citizen. Alex Pretti put his body between a woman who had been violently shoved to the ground and the ICE agent who pushed her. The agent reacted by pepper-spraying him and shoving him to the ground. Pretti, a legal gun owner, was exercising his rights by carrying a gun on his hip. This was quickly noticed by the agents, who then removed it, before he was shot repeatedly. A New York Times analysis showed that Pretti was shot 10 times after being disarmed and posing no threat.
Trump’s reaction to this was to criticise Pretti for bringing a gun to a protest. It is legal to carry a weapon openly in Minnesota. Once again, the administration took no responsibility and called Pretti an “assassin”.
The outcry after Pretti’s murder seemed greater than that of Good’s, with even some republicans admonishing Trump’s actions. This could be because Pretti was the ‘ideal victim’. A young, white male who worked as a nurse in a veterans hospital. A gun owner who was protecting a fallen woman. This resonates with most Americans as he posed as the epitome of American values.
One may question why Good’s killing did not render the same upset. It may be the fact that most thought it was a one-off, that the administration would take the tragedy to work on their methods, and it wouldn’t happen again- Pretti’s killing denounced that. Pretti was also on foot, unlike Good, so there was no speculation of him being a threat. Or it could be due to the current day’s extensive femicide issue, and people being unknowingly less sensitive to a woman being killed.
Either way, after Pretti’s killing, the administration was forced to take a look at its actions and make changes. The overseer of the operation in Minnesota was changed, and now ICE agents need bodycams.
What this means for the future of America
The mass protests and uprising in Minnesota against Trump’s actions have seemed to scare him and his administration. They have responded to fear in a classic manner- with violence. We are seeing something we have seen many times with regimes that are terrified of losing power, repression and their attempt to completely control the narrative. However, the more force they are deploying, the more pushback they are receiving. It seems that the real weapon Pretty was carrying was his phone, capturing the truth.
The legitimacy of the Trump administration is being undermined by its continuing insistence that its truth is the only truth and by the creation of its version of a secret police. Polling shows that 56 per cent of Americans believe that the killing of Renee Good was an inappropriate use of force, and 62 per cent have little or no trust that the administration will handle the investigation fairly. This is now reaching the Republican Party, shown by a Republican senator for North Carolina calling for the firing of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Trump’s almost exclusive deployment of ICE agents into democratic cities has only helped to increase America’s political polarisation. Democrats threatened a government shutdown by blocking a bill that would fund the Department for Homeland Security. In a dramatic turn from the previous shutdown- only in November- Republican congressmen’s language was softer, calling for talks in hopes of a solution, instead of attacking democrats for putting vital services at risk. This highlights their agreement with the outspoken democrats that what the administration is doing is against core American values.
On February 3rd, Trump signed a bill which extended funding for two extra weeks in hopes that an agreement could be made over the funding for ICE. It is forecasted to be a tough two weeks of negotiations for both parties. While writing, these are still underway, as is the situation in Minnesota. One can only hope for a swift and peaceful result.