Ending the Surge in Minnesota Isn’t Enough
It’s good that the federal occupation of Minnesota is ending. But the Trump administration shouldn’t be allowed to pretend it never happened. Justice would require a wave of impeachments, criminal charges, and restitution to the people of the Twin Cities.
The bare minimum of justice would mean serious efforts to repair the damage ICE has done in Minnesota and bring the people who inflicted it to account. (John Moore / Getty Images)
On Thursday, the Trump administration abruptly announced that it was ending the monthslong occupation of Minneapolis and St Paul by thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol officers. Donald Trump’s scandal-ridden “border czar,” Tom Homan, said that “a significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue to the next week.”
Some Minnesotans are understandably cautious. The administration’s decisions about any given issue can and do change from day to day and even hour to hour. If Homan does turn out to be true to his word in this case, though, it’s good that the operation that has terrorized the Twin Cities for months is finally coming to an end. It’s just nowhere near good enough.
After everything that’s happened since “Operation Metro Surge” started on December 4, achieving even the bare minimum of justice would mean serious efforts to repair the damage and bring the people who inflicted it to account.
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