In early Jan. 2026, the Trump administration launched what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) described as the “largest immigration operation ever” in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Deploying 2,000 federal immigration enforcement officers, the operation sought to crackdown on allegations of “fraud” among Somali residents in Minneapolis, which is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the U.S.
President Trump has previously criticized Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage,” accusing them of stealing money from Minnesota taxpayers and saying that Somalia is “barely a country.” He also recently announced his administration will end Temporary Protected Status for Somalia in Mar. 2026, affecting nearly 2,400 people.
However, what began as an effort to respond to President Trump’s unproven claims of “fraud” and corruption in Somali communities has now reached a critical point in U.S. history.
In just a couple of weeks, two American citizens — a Minneapolis mother, Renee Good, and an intensive care nurse, Alex Pretti — were both shot to death by ICE agents. Good, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car when ICE agents told her to get out, was shot four times — once in the head — and called a “f—–g bitch” by an agent according to videos. Pretti, who was trying to protect and record ICE agents pushing other civilians to the ground, was pepper-sprayed, pinned to the ground, disarmed and then shot 10 times, killing him within seconds.
Additionally, multiple children and students walking to school were detained by federal agents in the Columbia Heights area, a school district with a large Latino and Somali student population. Most notably, a photo of a five-year-old preschooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, being detained by ICE in his home’s driveway was widely circulated online.
In the photo, Liam stares at a black SUV while wearing his blue bunny hat and his Spider-Man backpack. Despite having a pending case to obtain citizenship legally, his father was detained with Liam and sent to a family detention facility in Texas. Liam is just one of several students in the area who were detained.
The videos and images of communities being raided, families being ripped apart, masked agents beating civilians and thousands protesting in a severe snowstorm are chilling and heartbreaking. The murders of Good and Pretti, along with Liam’s detainment, show that no one is safe from the Trump administration and ICE — even white U.S. citizens and children.
President Trump has gone far beyond his 2024 campaign promise to deport “violent illegal” immigrants. Now, he is seeking to deport anyone who has crossed the border illegally or has a pending citizenship application. It does not matter whether someone has a family, has lived in the U.S. peacefully for years or pays federal and state taxes like everyone else. If a person appears to “look” or “speak” like an immigrant, they are a target of ICE.
His administration is targeting not only so-called “sanctuary” states with significant immigrant populations but also those that voted Democratic in the last presidential election. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, and Minnesota voted Democratic. Other states, such as California, New York, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, have all received ICE deployments and were all won by Harris.
One of the clearest examples of political retaliation involves Stephen Miller, Trump’s senior advisor and the main architect of his immigration policy. Miller, who grew up in Santa Monica, directed sweeping raids in Los Angeles, a city built by Latino immigrants. He reportedly holds a long-standing resentment towards his hometown after feeling ostracized for his views in high school. Once in the White House, Miller used his position to target the city. Reports indicate that raids were focused on specific parks in Santa Monica that immigrant caretakers and families often use.
These ICE deployments are not just about detaining undocumented immigrants; they are about political retaliation and pursuing personal grievances.
Ultimately, the Trump administration’s immigration policy is meant to stoke fear and chaos across the country. President Barack Obama carried out millions of deportations, which drew criticism, but his administration did not terrorize U.S. cities with massive displays of force and brutality. Gregory Bovino, the public face of Trump’s immigration raids, flaunts ICE’s unethical and barbaric actions on social media daily.
In one video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Bovino is shown smiling after a clip of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass saying, “This experiment that was practiced on the city of Los Angeles failed.” The video includes footage of federal agents chasing vehicles, jumping out of white vans and wearing military gear.
The video, along with all other immigration-related content shared by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump, is vile. This is not the behavior of a law-abiding enforcement officer or a civil servant, but rather that of a social media personality posing as a tough man.
However, this conduct extends from the highest levels of leadership to the frontline ICE agents. ICE officers lack training in de-escalation and crisis intervention. From breaking windows to spraying tear gas and shooting peaceful civilians, their first instinct is to attack anyone who gets in their way — not reducing the need for force. Agents also carry military-grade weapons, including suppressors, dump pouches and rifle combat magwells, that belong on the battlefield — not in local communities. They wear masks to hide their identities and protect themselves, knowing what they are doing is wrong.
Action must be taken now. As the president said, the “worst of the worst” must be removed, starting with Miller, who led these operations and is responsible for their outcome. Noem and Bovino should also step down, but real change will only happen if Miller no longer leads the White House’s immigration agenda.
Second, ICE must leave Minneapolis and every American city where its presence is causing fear. Third, the agents involved in the deaths of Good and Pretti must face justice in court and all the children detained with their families, like Liam and his father, must return home. Fourth, Congress must adopt the policy changes to immigration enforcement they are debating now, including reducing funding for enforcement and detention centers, ending “roving patrols,” requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and ensuring independent investigations into ICE and other federal actions.
Liam, Good, Pretti and every American family and community affected by these raids deserve better.
