This semester, I have been lucky enough to study abroad in Madrid at SLU’s campus there. Since arriving two weeks ago, I have spent my days marveling at the impressive views and structures the city offers and traveling to neighboring areas to grow my understanding of Spain’s rich history and culture. The food is incredible and living in a city with convenient and consistent public transportation is life-changing. Despite this, my heart has been at home in Minnesota since my arrival.
I have lived in Minnesota my whole life, growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, where my parents still reside. Since I was old enough to comprehend political discourse and form my own opinions, I have been grateful to live in a staunchly liberal state where women’s right to bodily autonomy and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals are steadfastly supported by lawmakers, while immigrant populations are welcomed and valued. Minnesota has consistently voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1972, being the only state not to vote for President Ronald Reagan in his second election in 1984, a fact I am particularly proud of.
I love living in Minnesota, despite the chilly weather. As a queer woman in a conservative Catholic family, I have always found comfort knowing my wider community held similar values to me and would defend and vote to uphold my rights to autonomy, marriage and quality of life.
Since Donald Trump’s second Presidential win in 2024, the United States has been a hellscape of terror and censorship characterized by the administration’s complete lack of empathy and commitment to making examples of its political enemies. Community organizing in Minneapolis, through protests, sit-ins and boycotts, increased this year as citizens make their opposition to the administration’s violence and racial discrimination heard.
On June 14, 2025, Minneapolis participated in the national No Kings protests, which defied Trump’s claims to unchecked power and authority. Despite the tragic assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband Mike early the morning the protest was scheduled, over 15,000 Minnesotans marched to the capital in St. Paul that day in protest and camaraderie, in spite of warnings from state officials that the assassin was still at large, with many more protesting throughout the state. I attended the protest in St. Paul and, despite the somber atmosphere, Minnesotans’ concern and dedication to protecting and defending their neighbors were evident, while their anger was palpable. Over six months later, due to continued escalation and devastation by the Trump administration, Minnesotans’ defiance has grown.
Minnesotans have consistently been eager to stand up for members of their community and show their support while also remaining critical of the structures that perpetuate injustice. I remember visiting George Floyd’s memorial on the street where he was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020. The community’s dedication to maintaining his legacy and remembering Floyd’s life was evident, while their anger and outspoken protest against his murder were consistent and justified. As this was the summer before my freshman year of high school, a pivotal time in the formation of my values and digression from my family’s conservative denial of racism’s prevalence, this example allowed me to grasp my community’s dedication to standing against injustice.
Five years later, Minnesota is back in the country’s spotlight after further tragedy. Since December, Minneapolis has been flooded with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers following a fraud scandal that has been under investigation by state officials for years, with 62 related convictions taking place since 2021. Donald Trump’s administration has placed the blame on Minneapolis’ immigrant population, a strategic excuse to “justify” an increase in ICE’s presence in the city, stemming from their ongoing commitment to the mass deportation of immigrants.
Throughout my time back in Minnesota over winter break, tensions in the state were high and my concern for members of my community grew. Soon after my departure for Madrid, the situation escalated rapidly.
On Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good, a Minnesota resident, wife and mother, was shot by an ICE agent while in her vehicle on the streets of Minneapolis while standing by her community, notifying vulnerable members of ICE’s presence. Understandably, the event shook and angered the city, and protests against her death and the Trump Administration’s dismissive response to her murder strengthened these reactions. White House officials repeatedly refer to Good as a “domestic terrorist,” citing her engagement in anti-ICE activism as warranting this description. This tragedy highlights that the horrors compounding from Trump’s mass deportation efforts do not exclude U.S. citizens from facing state-sanctioned violence.
In a post on X, Vice President JD Vance blamed Good for her own death while defending the offending officer, responding to outrage over her murder: “The gaslighting is off the charts and I’m having none of it. This guy was doing his job.”
Unsurprisingly, the administration’s justification of her death and defense of her murderer escalated the anger already brewing over ICE’s unwanted presence in Minneapolis. Thousands of Minnesotans took to the streets; vigils were held in Good’s honor and state officials, including Minneapolis’ Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz, were quick to condemn both the agent, Jonathan Ross’, actions and the White House’s response to Good’s death.
On Saturday, January 24, state workers held a general strike and over 50,000 Minnesotans took to the streets to protest ICE’s brutality and unapologetic murder of an innocent bystander. Yet again, immigration enforcement escalated an interaction with a peaceful protestor, shooting 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti several times, and killing him, though eight agents had already subdued him by bringing him to the ground.
Just hours later, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement blaming Pretti for the incident, claiming he approached officers with a loaded weapon and that they responded appropriately. Many have denounced this interpretation, as video evidence shows Pretti approaching agents to help a woman they had pushed to the ground. Pretti can be seen holding only his phone camera, though he also has a legal firearm on his person, with a permit in his name to conceal and carry, following state law. Yet again, Minnesotans were blatantly shown that their rights to gather in protest, document brutality and protect their neighbors were being disregarded by federal officials who prioritize their political agendas over the lives of residents.
I watched these events unfold in horror, thousands of miles away, holding immense grief over Good and Pretti’s murders and the repugnant subsequent reactions of the Presidential administration, confronted, yet again, by their lack of empathy and humanity. I was proud of and grateful for Minnesotans’ speedy and heartfelt opposition to the violence, watching through the news and social media just how many friends and members of my community were standing against these horrors.
But I was also immediately overwhelmed by a wave of guilt that I was unable to stand with them against these horrors, and could only witness the dedicated activism of my neighbors from afar. Each day, I have been confronted with new headlines heightening my fear for the state’s future, such as Trump’s promise to cut all federal funding to Minnesota, including SNAP benefits, which would harm low-income families throughout the state, and the Pentagon’s order for 1,500 active-duty soldiers to remain on stand-by, ready to respond to protests in Minneapolis, following state officials call to mobilize the national guard.
I love Minnesota, our dedicated state officials and vibrant, loving communities. I am immensely proud to call the state home and have spent my childhood there. Though I have at times felt helpless as my home state faces national scrutiny and violence, I remain grateful to have been formed in this rich environment where neighbors consistently band together in the face of injustice.
Minnesotans’ response to ICE brutality and the kidnapping and murder of their neighbors reminds us that coming together in organized outrage in the face of tragedy is vital to the American spirit. Throughout our nation’s history, protest in the face of injustice has had a profound impact. Minnesotans consistently band together, as in the labor movement of the 1890s and the 1960s civil rights movement. Minnesota’s dedication to rejecting state violence against their neighbors reminds us that this spirit has not died and that together we are stronger. Everyone can learn from their dedication to community and swift response to tragedy.
I will try to enjoy my time abroad in the face of the news, supporting my community however I can, while prioritizing connection with friends back home who understand the anxieties I face.