Parents organized a vigil around Minneapolis schools to protect children from ICE agents.
Spontaneous groups of parents are using walkie-talkies, Signal group chats, and whistles to alert the community to the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents near the city's schools, writes NBC News.
Standing near his son's school, one of the fathers heard a warning signal on the radio: a suspicious car had been spotted nearby.
At another school, volunteer Joe Dirkswager stood vigil, nodding to passing cars. A few kilometers away, in St. Paul, Matthew Kearns questioned strangers near the school he graduated from decades ago.
All three are volunteers who began patrolling the streets around elementary and middle schools in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, using walkie-talkies, Signal group chats, and whistles to alert families and school staff to immigration enforcement activity. These informal patrols emerged amid a sharp increase in federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and following the shooting death of Renee Nicole Goode by an ICE officer last week.
On the subject: An ICE agent killed a Minneapolis woman: accounts of the incident differ widely.
On January 15, about two dozen adults lined the perimeter of Green Central Elementary School in central Minneapolis—just a few blocks from where Goode was killed. The patrol volunteers canvassed the surrounding streets and passed messages to each other.
Greg, 42, who asked that his last name not be used for his family's safety, said: "Every morning I feel like I'm being forced to choose where I'm going to go: to patrol to protect my daughter and her preschool, or to my son's preschool to be on duty there?"
Greg and eight other volunteers who spoke to NBC News said the patrols protect non-U.S. citizen parents and staff who fear being detained while traveling to and from school.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 3000 federal immigration officers have been deployed to Minnesota in recent weeks, and over 2500 undocumented immigrants have been apprehended in Minneapolis since November. This wave of heightened enforcement, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, follows a fraud investigation involving individuals of Somali descent.
Clashes between teachers and parents and federal law enforcement officers began.
One parent was detained by ICE at a school bus stop in Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, according to Robbinsdale Area Schools Superintendent Teri Stalock. And last week, on the day of Goode's death, U.S. Border Patrol agents clashed with teachers and protesters at nearby Roosevelt Middle School. According to the teachers' union, at least one teacher was detained and later released.
In response to these developments, the Minneapolis School District announced it would offer online learning to approximately 30,000 students through February 12. St. Paul Public Schools, which serves more than 30,000 students, also announced it would offer remote learning and close schools for a period of time.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that "ICE doesn't go into schools to arrest children—we protect children," and "criminals can no longer hide in America's schools to evade arrest."
"Our employees are highly trained and, despite unrest, the public release of their data, and physical attacks, they demonstrate professionalism," she added. "They are not intimidated by loud noises and whistles."
Witnesses of what happened
Kearns, 55, said the increased measures have also become noticeable outside the schools where organized patrols were initially established. Recently, he was driving around Riverview Elementary School on the west side of Minneapolis, a heavily Latino neighborhood, observing areas that, he said, have become hotspots in recent weeks.
“Basically, the Gestapo comes to us, infiltrates our area and does whatever they deem necessary,” he noted.
It was these observations that prompted Kearns to begin patrolling the area around the school he attended.
"I was born and raised here, went to school here, played football here, kissed my wife here when I was a boy," he said, gesturing toward the field on the school grounds. "We protect the children of our community. In a situation like this—or any situation, really—that's what any honest person would do."
When NBC News reporters spoke with Kearns, several volunteers, mostly parents, were on duty nearby. Some appeared visibly tense and declined to discuss how the patrols were organized or how the volunteers communicated, citing safety concerns and a reluctance to publicly disclose their plans. St. Paul Public Schools expressed gratitude to the community for its "concern and involvement," emphasizing that the patrols were organized independently of the schools.
The patrols in Minneapolis are echoing a practice that has emerged in other Democratic-governed cities amid increased immigration enforcement. In recent months, volunteers in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have adopted similar practices.
Leah Hood, 42, a professor at a nearby university, said she began monitoring Green Central Elementary School this week after learning about the patrols from friends who had already participated. She said the presence of observers is especially important in a situation where families fear that clashes could occur without witnesses.
"Isn't it terrifying to be picked up on the street on your way to or from school?" she asked rhetorically. "But it's even more terrifying to think that it could happen and no one would see it, no one would be able to confirm that it actually happened and that it was done to you."
Hood cited statements made in recent days by state and local officials. Prosecutors have urged residents to hand over video footage related to Hood's murder, as much of the evidence collected by the FBI remains unavailable to local authorities. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz this week urged residents to "peacefully film ICE officers during their operations."
The children are scared and confused.
Parents and teachers reported that children were experiencing fear and confusion.
Desiree, who has been patrolling the area around Green Central Elementary School for several weeks and also asked that her last name not be published for safety reasons, said her son has repeatedly asked about law enforcement officers seen nearby.
"It's obvious to them that something terrible is happening nearby," she noted.
Greg noted that the community formed in the wake of the previous events surrounding the murder of George Floyd responded with solidarity.
"You stand on that corner and all day long cars drive by and people wave and say 'thank you,' because we're all looking out for each other," he said.
You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York
Dirkswager, 38, said last week's events prompted him to start patrolling the area around Bancroft Elementary School in central Minneapolis, just blocks from where Floyd was killed in 2020.
"Last week got me to the point where I realized I had to get out of the house and do something—even if it was just standing on the corner and blowing my silly little whistle at federal agents driving by," he concluded.
Read also on ForumDaily:
The Trump administration has frozen funding for child care centers across the United States.
What to do if you're targeted by ICE: A step-by-step guide
Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.
Editor's Choice
