Rep. Aisha Gomez on ICE Invasion in Minnesota and Community Resistance

ICE Incursion in Minneapolis

• 🚨 Representative Aisha Gomez describes an "invasion" by masked, unaccountable, and heavily armed ICE agents in her South Minneapolis district (62A).
• 💔 The incursion has deeply impacted the community, with a constituent, Nicole Good, being murdered by ICE agents.
• ⚠️ ICE agents have used chemical munitions, including tear gas banned by the Geneva Convention, on students, parents, and educators at Roosevelt High School.
• 👥 ICE agents have also been observed violently arresting individuals, including a disabled woman and children, with disregard for public safety.

Community Organizing and Resistance

• 📢 The community is responding by organizing, making noise, and alerting neighbors to the presence of ICE agents, using whistles and horns as a form of protection.
• 🤝 Neighbors are coming together to support each other, ensuring kids get to school and food is delivered, offering an alternative vision to the "destructive" narrative presented by authorities.
• ✊ A general strike, called "A Day of Truth and Freedom," is planned, with hundreds of organizations, unions, and businesses participating.
• 💡 Community defense formations are active across the city, with resources available through platforms like "defend 612" on Instagram.

Limitations of State and Local Response

• ⚖️ Representative Gomez, chair of the tax committee, acknowledges the power of state policy but states that state and local policy are inadequate tools to respond to an "authoritarian federal regime."
• 🚫 Local law enforcement has not arrested any ICE agents, and there is a fear of federal retaliation, including the cutoff of federal funding.
• 🌐 Best practices and resources for community defense are being shared across cities that have faced similar situations, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.

A Call to Action

• 🚩 Minneapolis is seen as a "testing ground" for brutal tactics, serving as a "red alert" for democracy and the foundational ideas of the country.
• 🗣️ The current moment requires a clear understanding of the threat and the answer, which lies in community organizing and collective action.
• 🌟 Despite the dire circumstances, Gomez expresses immense pride in her community and city, emphasizing the importance of having an answer for future generations about actions taken during this crisis.