The Wild Reed: Protesting Trump’s “Dystopian” Immigration Policies

Sunday, February 02, 2025

Protesting Trump’s “Dystopian” Immigration Policies

Yesterday I joined with hundreds of others in taking to the streets of south Minneapolis to protest the Trump administration’s racist and inhumane immigration polices, including raids by ICE and immigrant deportations. Our core message was a simple one: Immigrants are welcome here.

The rally and march was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Following are a few of my photographs from yesterday, accompanied by an excerpt from Feven Gerezgiher’s MPR News article about the event.

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, America hasn’t felt the same to Antonio Hernandez.

“I cannot believe it,” he said. “It feels very dystopian.”

Hernandez, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, joined the ranks of demonstrators in Minneapolis on Saturday to protest President Trump's immigration policies.

Trump, on entering office last month, signed scores of executive orders reversing Biden-era policies and reinstituting plans he set in place during his first term. At least 20 executive orders are aimed at blocking immigration, including directives to stop refugee arrivals, redefine who can become a U.S. citizen at birth, continue building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and bolstering the ranks of federal immigration officers.

Supporters rallied on Minneapolis’ East Lake Street – a vibrant corridor of Mexican, Somali and other immigrant-owned businesses – packing the area on a grey and cold winter afternoon. They carried signs reading “All are welcome here” and “Immigrants Make America Great.”

. . . While “sanctuary cities” like Minneapolis and St. Paul limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and have ordinances in place to prioritize local trust and safety, sanctuary cities have also been targeted by Trump. In January, the president signed an executive order denying federal funding to sanctuary cities and directing his administration to pursue action “to the maximum extent possible under the law.”

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee organized the protest. “We want to show that we are in solidarity with our immigrant community . . . and tell Trump that we’re not going anywhere,” said Latifah Moss, a MIRAC spokesperson.

Moss said people now know what Trump is capable of and are more prepared to act.

She said MIRAC has ramped up its activism since Trump’s inauguration, offering more “Know Your Rights” trainings aimed at supporting immigrant communities and their neighbors.