After an inspection and the publication of leasing advertisements for the proposed detention center in Elkridge, Howard County determined that the building would be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and revoked the building permit.
Howard County, Maryland, has revoked the building permit for a private detention center that County Executive Calvin Ball said was going to be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs. And the county council has introduced emergency legislation to stop the project.
After a recent inspection and leasing advertisements for the proposed detention center, located at 6522 Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, the county determined “this privately owned building is intended for occupancy by ICE,” said Ball in a Monday news conference.
“The retrofitting of a private office buildings for detention use without transparency, without input, without clear oversight, is deeply troubling,” Ball said. “In this case, the proposed detention center sits in an existing office park in close proximity to health care providers, schools, parks and neighborhoods.”
According to Ball, the county wasn’t aware of specific lease agreements or contracts between the building owner and any federal agency.
The county’s director of inspections, licenses and permits and permits revoked the building permit, Ball said.
Later, Monday, the Howard County Council introduced two pieces of emergency legislation aimed at preventing private entities, rather than government agencies, from operating detention centers in the county.
The council voted to hold an emergency public hearing Wednesday, which could stretch into Thursday, followed by a vote on the bills by the five-person council.
“Since there are four cosponsors on the bill, it is about 99.99% likely to pass,” Council Chair Opel Jones told the audience, which responded with a standing ovation.
Jones asked audience members to “pack the house” for the public hearing, before encouraging participants to be concise in their statements, “so we can get right to the point, and vote this bill in.”
Howard County’s actions comes several days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased a warehouse near Hagerstown, Maryland, raising concerns that it would be retrofitted as an ICE detention center.
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The House is expected to vote today on a funding bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown, with President Donald Trump urging lawmakers to act swiftly despite Democratic calls for changes to immigration operations.The deal that passed the Senate last week funds the government through the rest of the fiscal year, except for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers would have until Feb. 13 to negotiate Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement provisions. On Monday, Trump told both sides in the House to send the bill to his desk without any delays, expressing his desire to see the government reopen as soon as possible. “We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” the president wrote on social media.However, many Democrats want to see changes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations before anything is signed.”The American people want to see the masks come off. The American people want to see body cameras turned on, and mandated. The American people want to see judicial warrants,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.House Speaker Mike Johnson argues that requiring immigration officers to remove masks would not have support from Republicans, as it could lead to problems if their personal images and private information are posted online by protesters. Passing this legislation could be a challenge because Johnson is working with a razor-thin majority and can only afford to lose one Republican defection, but he is confident he will pull it off.”We’re going to get this job done, get the government reopened. Democrats are going to play games and the American people can see who really cares,” Johnson said.Lawmakers from both parties are concerned the shutdown will disrupt the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which they rely on to help people after deadly snowstorms and other disasters.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
WASHINGTON —
The House is expected to vote today on a funding bill aimed at ending the partial government shutdown, with President Donald Trump urging lawmakers to act swiftly despite Democratic calls for changes to immigration operations.
The deal that passed the Senate last week funds the government through the rest of the fiscal year, except for the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers would have until Feb. 13 to negotiate Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement provisions.
On Monday, Trump told both sides in the House to send the bill to his desk without any delays, expressing his desire to see the government reopen as soon as possible.
“We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” the president wrote on social media.
“The American people want to see the masks come off. The American people want to see body cameras turned on, and mandated. The American people want to see judicial warrants,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
House Speaker Mike Johnson argues that requiring immigration officers to remove masks would not have support from Republicans, as it could lead to problems if their personal images and private information are posted online by protesters.
Passing this legislation could be a challenge because Johnson is working with a razor-thin majority and can only afford to lose one Republican defection, but he is confident he will pull it off.
“We’re going to get this job done, get the government reopened. Democrats are going to play games and the American people can see who really cares,” Johnson said.
Lawmakers from both parties are concerned the shutdown will disrupt the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which they rely on to help people after deadly snowstorms and other disasters.
Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.
A man takes photos of a warehouse as federal officials tour the facility to consider repurposing it as an ICE detention facility Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Belton, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)(AP/Charlie Riedel)
A man takes photos of a warehouse as federal officials tour the facility to consider repurposing it as an ICE detention facility Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Belton, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)(AP/Charlie Riedel)
With tensions high over federal immigration enforcement, some state and local officials are pushing back against attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to house thousands of detained immigrants in their communities in converted warehouses, privately run facilities and county jails.
Federal officials have been scouting cities and counties across the U.S. for places to hold immigrants as they roll out a massive $45 billion expansion of detention facilities financed by Trump’s recent tax-cutting law.
The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota have amplified an already intense spotlight on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, increasing scrutiny of its plans for new detention sites.
A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors.
“You want what’s happening in Minnesota to go down in our own backyard? Build that detention center here, and that’s exactly what will happen,” resident Kimberly Matthews told county officials.
As a prospective ICE detention site became public, elected officials in Kansas City, Missouri, scrambled to pass an ordinance aimed at blocking it. And mayors in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City — after raising concerns about building permits — announced last week that property owners won’t be selling or leasing their facilities for immigration detention.
Meanwhile, legislatures in several Democratic-led states pressed forward with bills aimed at blocking or discouraging ICE facilities. A New Mexico measure targets local government agreements to detain immigrants for ICE. A novel California proposal seeks to nudge companies running ICE facilities out of the state by imposing a 50% tax on their proceeds.
The number of ICE detention sites has doubled
More than 70,000 immigrants were being detained by ICE as of late December, up from 40,000 when Trump took office, according to federal data.
In a little over a year, the number of detention facilities used by ICE nearly doubled to 212 sites spread across 47 states and territories. Most of that growth came through existing contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service or deals to use empty beds at county jails.
Trump’s administration now is taking steps to open more large-scale facilities. In January, ICE paid $102 million for a warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, $84 million for one in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and more than $70 million for one in Surprise, Arizona. It also solicited public comment on a proposed warehouse purchase in a flood plain in Chester, New York.
Federal immigration officials have toured large warehouses elsewhere, without releasing many details about the efforts.
“They will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards,” ICE said in a statement, adding: “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”
Detention site foes face legal limitations
State and local governments can decline to lease detention space to ICE, but they generally cannot prohibit businesses and private landowners from using their property for federal immigrant detention centers, said Danielle Jefferis, an associate law professor at the University of Nebraska who focuses on immigration and civil litigation.
In 2023, a federal court invalidated a California law barring private immigrant detention facilities for infringing on federal powers. A federal appeals court panel cited similar grounds in July while striking down a New Jersey law that forbade agreements to operate immigrant detention facilities.
After ICE officials recently toured a warehouse in Orlando, Florida, as a prospective site, local officials looked into ways to regulate or prevent it. But City Attorney Mayanne Downs advised them in a letter that “ICE is immune from any local regulation that interferes in any way with its federal mandate.”
Officials in Hanover County also asked their attorney to evaluate legal options after the Department of Homeland Security sent a letter confirming its intent to purchase a private property for use as an ICE processing facility. The building sits near retail businesses, hotels, restaurants and several neighborhoods.
Although some residents voiced concerns that an ICE facility could strain the county’s resources, there’s little the county can do to oppose it, said Board of Supervisors Chair Sean Davis.
“The federal government is generally exempt from our zoning regulations,” Davis said.
Kansas City tries to block new ICE detention site
Despite court rulings elsewhere, the City Council in Kansas City voted in January to impose a five-year moratorium on non-city-run detention facilities. The vote came on the same day ICE officials toured a nearly 1-million-square-foot (92,903-square-meter) warehouse as a prospective site.
Manny Abarca, a county lawmaker, said he initially was threatened with trespassing when he showed up but was eventually allowed inside the facility, where a deputy ICE field office director told him they were scouting for a 7,500-bed site.
Abarca is trying to fortify Kansas City’s resistance by proposing a countywide moratorium on permits, zoning changes and development plans for detention facilities not run by the county or a city.
“When federal power is putting communities on edge, local government has a responsibility to act where we have authority,” he said.
Kansas City is looking to follow a similar path as Leavenworth, Kansas, which has argued that private prison firm CoreCivic must have an operating permit to reopen a shuttered prison as an ICE detention facility.
As other ICE proposals have surfaced, officials in Social Circle, Georgia, El Paso, Texas, and Roxbury Township, New Jersey, all have raised concerns about a lack of water and sewer capacity to transform warehouses into detention sites.
Nationally, it remains to be seen whether local governments can effectively deter ICE facilities through building permits and regulations.
“We’re currently in a moment where it is being tested,” Jefferis said. “So there is no clear answer as to how the courts are going to come down.”
New Mexico targets existing ICE facilities
The Democratic-led New Mexico House on Friday passed legislation banning state and local government contracts for ICE detention facilities, sending it to the Senate. Similar bills are pending in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.
The Otero County Processing Center, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from downtown El Paso, Texas, is one of three privately run ICE facilities that could be affected by the New Mexico legislation. The facility includes four immigration courtrooms and space for more than 1,000 detainees. The county financed its construction in 2007 with the intent to use it as a revenue source, and plans to pay off the remaining $16.5 million debt by 2028.
Otero County Attorney Roy Nichols said the county is prepared to sue the Legislature under a state law that prevents impairment of outstanding revenue bonds.
Republicans warned of job losses and economic fallout if the legislation forces immigrant detention centers to close.
But Democratic state Rep. Sarah Silva, who voted for the ban, and said her constituents in a heavily Hispanic area view the ICE facility as a burden.
“Our state can’t be complicit in the violations that ICE has been doing in places like Minneapolis,” Silva said. “To me that was beyond the tipping point.”
An ice resurfacing machine driver died last week in northern Colorado after colliding with an overhead door at a Fort Collins ice rink, city officials said.
Ice resurfacing machines are often referred to as Zambonis, but the details of the exact machine being driven at the time of the crash remained unknown Sunday.
City officials said the driver was injured when the resurfacing machine backed into a partially open overhead door at the rink. Paramedics took the driver to the hospital, where the driver later died, according to the release.
No other staff or EPIC visitors were injured, Fort Collins officials said.
The victim will be identified by the Larimer County Coroner’s Office.
“This is a tragic incident, and we are devastated at the loss of our colleague,” Fort Collins City Manager Kelly DiMartino stated in the news release. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected and we are working to support their loved ones and coworkers.”
Fort Collins staff are reviewing the accident to understand what led up to the collision and update safety policies, city officials said.
EPIC remained closed for several days following the collision, but reopened to the public on Friday, according to the release.
Palantir earned a record $1.855 billion in revenue from the American government in 2025, the company said in an earnings report that exceeded market expectations.
“We also did this while supporting, in critical manner, some of the most interesting, intricate, unusual operations that the U.S. government has been involved in, many of which we can’t comment on, but were the highlight of last year and were highly motivating to all of us at Palantir,” CEO Alex Karp said on the investor call.
Palantir’s “motivating” business with the U.S. government grew 55% year-over-year in 2025. In just the last three months of the year, Palantir made $570 million in revenue, with 66% growth year-over-year.
Most of that revenue was driven by the company’s work for the Department of Defense, “as well as accelerating momentum in civil agencies,” Palantir’s chief revenue officer Ryan Taylor said.
Palantir’s close relationship with at least one of these civil agencies has been at the heart of growing public scrutiny, and that’s the Department of Homeland Security.
The DHS has been relying on Palantir software in its effort to turbocharge the Trump administration’s violent crackdown on immigrants. Last year, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency paid Palantir $60 million to build a surveillance platform called ImmigrationOS to track self-deportations. Just a few months later, an Amnesty International report claimed that Palantir’s AI software was used to target non-citizens who speak out in favor of Palestine.
ICE also uses Palantir tech to decide which neighborhoods to target for deportation raids. The program is called ELITE (short for Enhanced Lead Identification and Targeting), and it was first unveiled in a 404 Media report last month and later corroborated in a DHS report on AI use cases in the Department.
The same report also says that ICE uses Palantir AI to review, summarize, and categorize tips sent to the agency.
But Palantir’s partnership with Washington goes far beyond just immigration. Many parts of the government rely on Palantir software, most notably the Pentagon and particularly through a $480 million deal for an AI-powered target identification system called Maven.
“Our weapons software is in every combat situation [that] I’m aware of,” Karp said. In fact, the CEO claims it’s been so effective that his chief technology officer Shyam Sankar’s “phone rings off the hook all day, and what they want from him is ‘how do I do this same thing across government?’”
Karp’s usual retort to accusations that Palantir is aiding the administration in immoral (and some argue illegal) actions is that the company’s software is the only way the public can ensure the government’s actions remain constitutional. He has used this reasoning when defending the use of Palantir software in Caribbean boat strikes that many experts believe to be war crimes, and he used it again in the investor call to ward off fears of Palantir-driven mass surveillance.
Karp argues that Palantir is building technology that will hold the government accountable to the legal limits of its surveillance, and ensure that “every institution that uses our product is doing it within conformity of the law and the ethics of America.”
But what happens when those “laws and ethics” themselves become questionable? Well, Palantir continues to get paid.
Take Palantir’s work for the Department of Health and Human Services. For roughly the past year, Palantir has supplied AI tools to attack government programs, contracts, and grants that don’t fit with the Trump administration’s views on gender, environment, and race, according to a recently published report on AI use cases at HHS.
The Department has been using Palantir AI to make sure that all grants and jobs comply with Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI and “gender ideology.”
Since they were signed a year ago, both executive orders have led to many federal layoffs, including some targeting non-DEI-related positions, and major cuts to funding for crucial research. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even had to scrub any mentions of words like “gender,” “LGBT,” or “environmental justice,” retracting and even pausing some research submissions, while Trump cut more than 1,600 research grants at the National Science Foundation.
MINNEAPOLIS — For weeks, administrators at this charter high school have arrived an hour before class, grabbed neon vests and walkie-talkies, and headed out into the cold to watch for ICE agents and escort students in.
Lately, fewer than half of the 800 sudents show up.
“Operation Metro Surge,” the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to nationwide protests after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens, has had students, parents and teachers on edge regardless of their immigration status.
Signs of a fearful new normal are all over the school. Green craft paper covers the bottom of many first-floor windows so outsiders can’t peer in. A notice taped outside one door says unauthorized entry is prohibited: “This includes all federal law enforcement personnel and activities unless authorized by lawful written direction from appropriate school officials or a valid court order.”
Students at a Minneapolis high school classroom with many empty seats on Jan. 29, 2026.
Staff coordinate throughout the day with a neighborhood watch group to determine whether ICE agents are nearby. When they are, classroom doors are locked and hallways emptied until staff announce “all clear.”
Similar tactics have been utilized by schools in other cities hit by immigration raids across the country. The Los Angeles Unified School District established a donation fund for affected families and created security perimeters around schools last summer.
But it appears nowhere have students felt the repercussions of local raids more than in Minneapolis.
Many schools have seen attendance plummet by double-digit percentages. At least three other, smaller charter schools in Minneapolis have completely shut down in-person learning.
At this high school, which administrators asked The Times not to identify for fear of retaliation by the Trump administration, 84% of students are Latino and 12% are Black. Staff and students are being identified by first or middle names.
A balloon sits in a hallway at the high school.
Doors and windows are covered at the school so outsiders can’t see in.
Three students have been detained — and later released — in recent weeks. Two others were followed into the school parking lot and questioned about their immigration status. Several have parents who were deported or who self-deported. Latino staff said they have also been stopped and questioned about their legal status.
“Our families feel hunted,” said Noelle, the school district’s executive director.
Students returned from winter break on Jan. 6, the same day 2,000 additional immigration agents were dispatched to Minneapolis to carry out what Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons called the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever.” The next day, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three.
“I describe that day as if you’re on an airplane and it’s really bad turbulence, and you have to keep your cool because, if you don’t, you lose the entire building,” said Emmanuel, an assistant principal. “It felt like we went through war.”
Attendance dropped by the hundreds as parents grew too afraid to let their children leave home. School leaders decided to offer online learning and scrambled to find enough laptops and mobile hotspots for the many students who didn’t have devices or internet. Some teachers sent packets of schoolwork to students by mail.
A teacher at the Minneapolis high school that administrators asked The Times not to identify for fear of retaliation by the Trump administration. Teachers and students there also asked not to be identified.
Noelle said in-person attendance, which had dropped below 400 students, increased by around 100 in the third week of January. Then federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, and attendance plummeted again.
Rochelle Van Dijk, vice president of Great MN Schools, a nonprofit supporting schools that serve a majority of students of color, said many schools have redirected tens of thousands of dollars away from other critical needs toward online learning, food distribution and safety planning. For students still attending in person, recess has frequently been canceled, and field trips and after-school activities paused.
Even if students return to school by mid-February, Van Dijk said, they will have missed 20% of their instructional days for the year.
“A senior who can’t meet with their college counselor right now just missed support needed for major January college application deadlines. Or a second-grader with a speech delay who is supposed to be in an active in-person intervention may lose a critical window of brain plasticity,” she said. “It is not dissimilar to what our nation’s children faced during COVID, but entirely avoidable.”
At the high school, administrators said they tried to create “a security bubble,” operating under protocols more typical of active shooter emergencies.
Gym class at the Minneapolis school, where many students are so afraid of ICE that they won’t go to the campus.
If agents were to enter the building without a judicial warrant, the school would go into a full lockdown, turning off lights, staying silent and moving out of sight. That hasn’t happened, though ICE last year rescinded a policy that had barred arrests at so-called sensitive locations, including schools.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said that blaming ICE for low school attendance is “creating a climate of fear and smearing law enforcement.”
“ICE does not target schools,” McLaughlin said. “If a dangerous or violent illegal criminal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect the safety of the student. But this has not happened.”
Alondra, a 16-year-old junior who was born in the U.S., was arrested after school Jan. 21 near a clinic where she had gone with a friend, also 16, to pick up medication for her grandmother.
She said that as she was about to turn into the parking lot, another car sped in front of her, forcing her to stop. Alondra saw four men in ski masks with guns get out. Scared, she put her car in reverse. Before she could move, she said, another vehicle pulled up and struck her car from behind.
Alondra shared videos with The Times that she recorded from the scene. She said agents cracked her passenger window in an attempt to get in.
“We’re with you!” a bystander can be heard telling her in the video as others blow emergency whistles.
She said she rolled her window down and an agent asked to see her ID. She gave him her license and U.S. passport.
“Is it necessary to have to talk to you or can I talk to an actual cop?” she asks in the video. “Can I talk to an actual cop from here?”
“We are law enforcement,” the agent replies. “What are they gonna do?”
In another video, an agent questions Alondra’s friend about the whereabouts of his parents. Another agent is heard saying Alondra had put her car in reverse.
“We’re underage,” she tells him. “We’re scared.”
A sign directs students to line up for their school bus route. Bus pickups are staggered, with one group of students escorted outside at a time. This way, the children can be taken back inside the school or onto the bus more easily if ICE arrives.
A Minneapolis Public Radio reporter at the scene said agents appeared to have rear-ended Alondra’s car. But Alondra said an agent claimed she had caused the accident.
“It’s just a simple accident, you know what I mean?” he says in the video. “We’re not gonna get on you for trying to hit us or something.”
“Can you let us go, please?” her friend, visibly shaken, asks the agent at his window.
Alondra and her friend were handcuffed and placed in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle as observers filmed the incident. At least two observers were arrested as agents deployed tear gas and pepper spray, according to an MPR report.
The agents took the students to the federal Whipple Building. Alondra said the agents separated the friends, looked through and photographed her belongings and had her change into blue canvas shoes before chaining her feet together and placing her in a holding cell alone.
“I asked at least five times if I could let my guardian know what was happening, because I was underage, but they never let me,” she said.
Finally, around 7 p.m., agents released Alondra — with no paperwork about the incident — and she called her aunt to pick her up. Her friend was released later.
Meanwhile, school administrators who saw the MPR video called Alondra’s family and her friend’s.
Alondra said officers didn’t know what had happened to her car and told her they would call her when she could pick it up. But no one has called, and school administrators who helped her make calls to Minneapolis impound lots haven’t been able to locate it either.
Though Alondra could attend classes online, she felt she had to return to campus.
“I feel like if I would have stayed home, it would have gone worse for me,” she said, her lip quivering. “I use school as a distraction.”
The backstage of the auditorium, dubbed the bodega, has been turned into a well-stocked pantry for families who are too afraid to leave their homes.
A volunteer organizes donated items for distribution to families at the Minneapolis high school.
A teacher makes a delivery to a family in Minneapolis.
Teachers and volunteers sort donations by category, including hygiene goods, breakfast cereals, bread and tortillas, fruit and vegetables, diapers and other baby items. Bags are labeled with each student’s name and address and filled with the items their family has requested. After school, teachers deliver the items to the students’ homes.
Noelle said some students, particularly those who are homeless, are now at risk of failing because they’re in “survival mode.” Their learning is stagnating, she said.
“A lot of these kids are — I mean, they want to be — college-bound,” Noelle said. “How do you compete [for admission] with the best applicants if you’re online right now and doing one touch-point a day with one teacher because that’s all the technology that you have?”
On Thursday afternoon, 20 of 44 students had shown up for an AP world history class where the whiteboard prompt asked, “Why might some people resort to violent resistance rather than peaceful protest?”
Upstairs, in an 11th-grade U.S. history class, attendance was even worse — four students, with 17 others following online. The topic was what the teacher called the nation’s “first immigration ban,” the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
Students head to their bus at the high school.
Morgan, the teacher, asked the students to name a similarity between the Chinese exclusion era and current day.
“Immigrants getting thrown out,” one student offered.
“Once they leave, they can’t come back,” said another.
“The fact that this is our first ban on immigration also sets a precedent that this stuff can happen over and over and over again,” Morgan said.
Sophie, who teachers English language learners, led the effort to organize the online school option. She is from Chile and says she has struggled to put her own fear aside to be present for the students who rely on her. Driving to school scares her, too.
“It’s lawless,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that I have my passport in my purse. The minute I open my mouth, they’re going to know that I’m not from here.”
Sophie said she once had to call a student’s mother to say her husband had been taken by immigration agents after another school staffer found his car abandoned on a nearby street.
“Having to have that conversation wasn’t on my bingo card for that day, or any day,” she said. “Having to say that we have proof that your husband was taken and hearing that woman crying and couldn’t talk, and I’m like, what do I say now?”
Close to the 4:15 p.m. dismissal, administrators again donned their neon vests and logged on to the neighborhood Signal call for possible immigration activity.
Students walk to a bus Thursday. Dismissal used to be a free-for-all, with large numbers of students rushing outside as soon as the bell rang.
Dismissal used to be a free-for-all — once the final bell rang, students would rush outside to find their bus or ride or to begin the walk home.
Now pickups are staggered, with students escorted outside one bus at a time. Teachers grab numbered signs and tell students to line up according to their route. If ICE agents pull up, administrators said, they could rush a smaller group of students onto the bus or back inside.
In yet another example of how the immigration raids had crippled attendance, some buses were nearly empty. On one bus, just two students hopped on.
GLOUCESTER — Capt. Sebastian “Busty” Noto aboard the Sea Farmer II and Capt. Gus Sanfilippo aboard the Lily Jean kept in constant contact during their recent fishing trip as they have done for decades.
As the historic fishing community mourns the loss of seven crew members aboard the Lily Jean, Noto, too, grieves the loss of a dear friend and colleague.
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French tech giant Capgemini announced on Sunday that it will immediately divest from its American subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions, following mounting scrutiny over the company’s ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Capgemini was designated as the lead contractor of a new ICE surveillance program for “skip-tracing” immigrants. Skip-tracing is a method often used by debt collectors to locate people who are difficult to find, and it has not been used by ICE before.
As part of the new program, ICE enlisted a handful of nongovernment entities to track down 50,000 immigrants a month, first by identifying where they live and work through “all technology systems available,” and then confirming through “physical, in-person surveillance,” including photographing, according to the Washington Post. The agency awarded contracts to ten companies in December. As part of the contract, the companies could earn more than $1 billion by the end of next year, according to The Intercept.
The highest potential bounty of $365 million over two years would go to Capgemini Government Solutions, European tech giant Capgemini’s U.S. subsidiary. Capgemini Government Solutions has been working with the Department of Homeland Security for more than 15 years, according to Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat.
As ICE escalates its violent immigration crackdown, protesters have started targeting companies that help turbocharge those efforts. Anti-ICE protesters are organizing nationwide general strikes and boycotts, while hundreds of tech workers have signed a letter asking their companies to cancel all contracts with ICE. Even Italians have organized protests as ICE agents descend upon Milan for the Winter Olympics. The French are no strangers to anti-ICE sentiment, too.
Following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis last month, scrutiny of Capgemini’s work with the DHS mounted in France. Union workers and government officials, including the French minister of the economy Roland Lescure, demanded that the company review its contracts with the American government.
An independent board of directors began reviewing the contract last week, Ezzat said.
“We were recently made aware, through public sources, of the nature of a contract awarded to CGS by DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December 2025. The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm,” the chief executive said in a LinkedIn post last Sunday.
A week later, the review concluded that ” the customary legal restrictions imposed for contracting with federal government entities carrying out classified activities in the United States did not allow the Group to exercise appropriate control over certain aspects of the operations of this subsidiary to ensure alignment with the Group’s objectives,” Capgemini said in a press release.
The divestment decision arrives amid a tense geopolitical situation between France and the United States. There has been deep-seated resentment amongst Europeans of the Trump administration’s actions since taking office last year. Early last year, French citizens organized boycotts of Tesla due to CEO Elon Musk’s close ties to the administration, including some brands that are just heavily associated with an American identity, like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.
As Trump escalates his tariff threats on the bloc, French officials have aimed to restrict the use of some American technology in government spaces to ease the country’s reliance on the U.S. They have also repeatedly and openly asked the European Union to take a stronger stance against Trump’s tariff threats, including by unleashing the Union’s “trade bazooka” that could allow restrictions on digital services companies like Meta and Google.
It’s been a week since snow and ice pummeled D.C. While many residents spent days shoveling paths back to a normal life, others also looked after their neighbors.
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A week after the snowstorm, neighbors help neighbors in DC
There were many in the D.C.’s Brookland neighborhood who not only lent a helping hand to their neighbors, they also brought tools.
Mike Chaney, a native of Cleveland, said he’s no stranger to snow.
“This has been the worst. It’s just the thickness, the hardness,” Chaney said. “We got to band together sometimes, grab a shovel to break up the ice.”
Chaney has spent more than 12 hours over the past few days breaking up snow and clearing crosswalks in his neighborhood. He told WTOP all the effort has been causing him to sleep soundly afterward.
Across the street clearing another crosswalk was Chian Gavin, who has lived in D.C. for nearly 40 years. She told WTOP that she has never seen a snowstorm like this.
Not only does she want to help make walking in her neighborhood safe for her and her neighbors, Gavin said she has plans she refuses to miss.
“I have Zumba on Monday. I’m getting to Zumba on Monday,” Gavin said with a laugh.
A few blocks down clearing a sidewalk was Tatiana Marquez. She is part of D.C.’s Volunteer Snow Program, the Snow Team Heroes.
“This is just one of two that I signed up for,” Marquez told WTOP. “So this one looks like it would be a good hour.”
Marquez said had checked with the person who lived at the house she was standing in front of and said learned her help was needed getting the sidewalk cleared.
On a side street were Stacy Strong and Bryan McDermott. They were breaking apart chunks of ice that appeared as if they could have been from an iceberg.
Strong told WTOP it took her three days to get her car free of the snow and ice and now she was helping McDermott.
“It’s a good workout. It’s hard to get to the gym. There’s no place to park, so it’s actually a good way to get out there and get some exercise,” McDermott told WTOP.
Close by on Michigan Ave. in Northeast vehicles were lined up around the block in front of Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, which was one of five pop-up ice distribution centers set up by the mayor’s office.
“Mayor Bowser, she has galvanized volunteers and workers from just about every agency in the city,” Kera Tyler, chief of external affairs for D.C. Public Schools told WTOP. “They’re thanking us for digging in these salt piles and filling up their trunks, and we’re happy to do it.”
One of those in line was Arturo Alford. He drove his Chevrolet Tahoe to pick up salt for not only himself but also his parents.
While he believes that D.C. could have done a better job with snow removal, he said the salt giveaway helps, and he told WTOP he was impressed with how organized the event was at the distribution center.
“I only had to wait 20 minutes, not bad,” said Alford.
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DENVER – Hundreds of Denver cyclists joined other Coloradans Saturday who gathered and rolled in unity to honor Alex Pretti while demanding an end to the recent ICE surge.
Pretti, an ICU nurse and avid cyclist, was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last weekend.
The Denver ride, organized by the Denver Bicycle Lobby, began at City Park in front of the Martin Luther King Memorial Statue before winding through the streets of Denver.
“Alex died as both a witness and a protector. He used his phone to record the truth and his body to shield a neighbor. If we do nothing, Alex will not be the last. This ride is for Alex, but it’s also a roll call for those that the headlines often forget,” said Jude Tibay, who helped organize the ride.
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“I’m kind of speechless. This hurts. This really hurts,” said Marcus Robinson, Co-Founder, Ride for Racial Justice. ”ICE is taking away our families. It’s taking away our kids, and it’s just really troubling and we have to do something about it.”
Local
Boulder cyclists demand justice during unity ride in honor of Alex Pretti
Mary Egan, a cyclist who came to Denver from Oak Creek Colorado, urged everyone to find humanity in this moment.
“It doesn’t matter who these people are. They are people, and they shouldn’t get murdered on the street by federal officials,” said Egan. “That is wrong, and we live in America, and I think America is better than that.”
Among the chants and calls for change, cyclists said Saturday’s ride helped them feel connected as riders nationwide came together.
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“It gives me a lot of hope to see people supporting from all walks of life that maybe aren’t political or haven’t been engaged until now, it makes a difference,” said Denver cyclist Max Julien. “Hopefully we can get them (ICE) to back down.”
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In the video player below, Denver7 shows you how the ride unfolded. For more coverage of the issues facing the Colorado bicycle community from Denver7, watch our On Two Wheels reports.
Denver cyclists roll for unity and honor Alex Pretti, while demanding change
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Denver7 | On Two Wheels: Get in touch with Jeff Anastasio
Have a story idea about biking in Colorado you want shared from your community? Want to highlight a danger or give a shoutout to someone in the biking community? Fill out the form below to get in touch with Denver7 On Two Wheels reporter Jeff Anastasio.
Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds
The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope
This 13 page document lays out DHS policy for use of force. Now these rules apply to Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and Secret Service and make it clear what protocols agents should follow before any use of force is applied. And while it’s easy to look back and replay video over and over after the fact, experts we talked to told us agents need to rely on these policies and training, especially in critical moments. Unfortunately, It, it’s for me as *** field office director, this all of this is very um upsetting. Darius Reeves, *** former ICE field office director, spent nearly 20 years with ICE and Homeland Security, *** time when he says their operations were not drawing public attention. No one had any idea about ICE. We were very professional, we were very clean, and this is. There are far too many US citizens being involved. What troubles Reeves now isn’t just the outcome of recent encounters, but whether ICE and Border Patrol are following their own use of force and de-escalation policies. When is use of force an option? If it’s an immediate Imminent threat. The National Investigative Unit reviewed the Department of Homeland Security’s use of force policy alongside video from the two recent killings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good and talked with experts including Reeves. DHS policy is clear officers should attempt de-escalation, issue verbal commands, reassess when resistance stops, and discontinue force once an incident is under control. Video from the encounter involving 30 seven-year-old Alex Preddy shows in the minute before the shooting, Preddy is recording from *** distance. Agents push *** woman who grabs onto Preddy. He’s then pushed. An agent pushes another woman near Preddy, who then steps in with an open hand up, then turns away from the agent as he’s sprayed with *** chemical. They continually sprayed him even when his back was to them, and then everybody piles on. Based on the video we’ve seen, in your opinion. Was deadly force used correctly on Alex Peretti? Absolutely not. The second case involving Renee Good raises *** different policy question. DHS rules place strict limits on the use of deadly force in and around vehicles. Mark Brown used to train ICE agents and explains the strict rules. The general practice was that They went away from shooting in the moving vehicles. Reeves and Brown add that incidents need to be carefully examined afterward to prevent future violations. Are we debriefing every day after, you know, to see, OK, what are we doing for our own accountability? This is *** major travesty, um. And you, you’re going to have to stick to the policy. The DHS policy states that every agent must be trained in use of force and de-escalation policies at least once *** year, and every 2 years they must conduct less than lethal force training. The policy we reviewed was last updated in 2023. Reporting in Washington, I’m national investigative correspondent John Cardinelli.
Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds
The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policiesA federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.”Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.
Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policies
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.
Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”
The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.
The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.
“Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.
Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds
The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope
This 13 page document lays out DHS policy for use of force. Now these rules apply to Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and Secret Service and make it clear what protocols agents should follow before any use of force is applied. And while it’s easy to look back and replay video over and over after the fact, experts we talked to told us agents need to rely on these policies and training, especially in critical moments. Unfortunately, It, it’s for me as *** field office director, this all of this is very um upsetting. Darius Reeves, *** former ICE field office director, spent nearly 20 years with ICE and Homeland Security, *** time when he says their operations were not drawing public attention. No one had any idea about ICE. We were very professional, we were very clean, and this is. There are far too many US citizens being involved. What troubles Reeves now isn’t just the outcome of recent encounters, but whether ICE and Border Patrol are following their own use of force and de-escalation policies. When is use of force an option? If it’s an immediate Imminent threat. The National Investigative Unit reviewed the Department of Homeland Security’s use of force policy alongside video from the two recent killings of Alex Preddy and Renee Good and talked with experts including Reeves. DHS policy is clear officers should attempt de-escalation, issue verbal commands, reassess when resistance stops, and discontinue force once an incident is under control. Video from the encounter involving 30 seven-year-old Alex Preddy shows in the minute before the shooting, Preddy is recording from *** distance. Agents push *** woman who grabs onto Preddy. He’s then pushed. An agent pushes another woman near Preddy, who then steps in with an open hand up, then turns away from the agent as he’s sprayed with *** chemical. They continually sprayed him even when his back was to them, and then everybody piles on. Based on the video we’ve seen, in your opinion. Was deadly force used correctly on Alex Peretti? Absolutely not. The second case involving Renee Good raises *** different policy question. DHS rules place strict limits on the use of deadly force in and around vehicles. Mark Brown used to train ICE agents and explains the strict rules. The general practice was that They went away from shooting in the moving vehicles. Reeves and Brown add that incidents need to be carefully examined afterward to prevent future violations. Are we debriefing every day after, you know, to see, OK, what are we doing for our own accountability? This is *** major travesty, um. And you, you’re going to have to stick to the policy. The DHS policy states that every agent must be trained in use of force and de-escalation policies at least once *** year, and every 2 years they must conduct less than lethal force training. The policy we reviewed was last updated in 2023. Reporting in Washington, I’m national investigative correspondent John Cardinelli.
Judge says she won’t halt Minnesota immigration enforcement surge as a lawsuit proceeds
The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policiesA federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.”Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.
Video above: Examining DHS use-of-force policies
A federal judge says she won’t halt the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota and the Twin Cities as a lawsuit over it proceeds.
Judge Katherine M. Menendez on Saturday denied a preliminary injunction sought in a lawsuit filed this month by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
It argued that the Department of Homeland Security is violating constitutional protections. The lawsuit sought a quick order to halt the enforcement action or limit its scope. Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.”
The ruling on the injunction focused on the argument by Minnesota officials that the federal government is violating the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which limits the federal government’s powers to infringe on the sovereignty of states. In her ruling, the judge relied heavily on whether that argument was likely to ultimately succeed in court.
The federal government argued that the surge, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, is necessary in its effort to take criminal immigrants off the streets and because federal efforts have been hindered by state and local “sanctuary laws and policies.” State and local officials argued that the surge is retaliation after the federal government’s initial attempts to withhold federal funding to try to force immigration cooperation failed.
“Because there is evidence supporting both sides’ arguments as to motivation and the relative merits of each side’s competing positions are unclear, the Court is reluctant to find that the likelihood-of-success factor weighs sufficiently in favor of granting a preliminary injunction,” the judge said in the ruling.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media Saturday to laud the ruling, calling it “another HUGE” legal win for the Justice Department on X.
Federal officers have fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
6abc Studios (WPVI) — Host Brian Taff and the Panel will speak about the possibility of Federal ICE agents coming to Philadelphia, Senator John Fetterman’s stance on DHS funding, Governor Shapiro’s ambition to run for President as he debuts his new book, Republican Challenger Stacy Garrity gets an endorsement from President Trump and what’s the report card for Philadelphia’s snow removal effort. Get the Inside Story with Melissa Robbins, Larry Platt, Christine Flowers and Guy Ciarrocchi.
After the recent shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, some police chiefs have joined the mounting criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration blitz.
One voice missing from the fray: LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
This week, the chief reiterated that the department has a close working relationship with federal law enforcement, and said he would not order his officers to enforce a new state law — currently being challenged as unconstitutional — that prohibits the use of face coverings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents.
Top police brass nationwide rarely criticize their federal partners, relying on collaboration to investigate gangs, extremist groups and other major criminals — while also counting on millions in funding from Washington each year.
McDonnell and the LAPD have found themselves in an especially tough position, longtime department observers say. The city has been roiled by immigration raids and protests, and local leaders, including Mayor Karen Bass, have blasted the White House. But with the World Cup and Olympics coming soon — events that will require coordination with the feds — the chief has been choosing his words carefully.
Over the past year, McDonnell has fallen back on the message that the LAPD has a long-standing policy of not getting involved in civil immigration enforcement. Unlike his counterparts in Minneapolis, Portland and Philadelphia, he has largely avoided public comment on the tactics used by federal agents, saving his strongest criticism for protesters accused of vandalism or violence.
In a radio interview last spring, the chief said that “it’s critical that in a city as big, a city that’s as big a target for terrorism as Los Angeles, that we have a very close working relationship with federal, state and local partners.” He boasted that the LAPD had “best relationship in the nation in that regard.”
McDonnell stood beside FBI Director Kash Patel on an airport tarmac last week to announce the capture of a Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of trafficking tons of cocaine through Los Angeles. Then, at a news conference Thursday in which city officials touted historically low homicide totals, McDonnell said LAPD officials were as “disturbed” as everyone else by events in other parts of the country, alluding to Pretti’s shooting without mentioning him by name. He said the department would continue to work closely with federal agencies on non-immigration matters.
Explaining his stance on not enforcing the mask ban, McDonnell said he wouldn’t risk asking his officers to approach “another armed agency creating conflict for something that” amounted to a misdemeanor offense.
“It’s not a good policy decision and it wasn’t well thought out in my opinion,” he said.
Elsewhere, law enforcement leaders, civil rights advocates and other legal experts have decried how ICE agents and other federal officers have been flouting best practices when making street arrests, conducting crowd control and maintaining public safety amid mass protests.
After a shooting by agents of two people being sought for arrest in Portland, Ore., in mid-January, the city’s chief of police gave a tearful news conference saying he had sought to understand Latino residents “through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger.”
Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal set off a social media firestorm after she referred to ICE agents as “made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement.”
In Minneapolis, where the Trump administration has deployed 3,000 federal agents, police Chief Brian O’Hara reportedly warned his officers in private that they would lose their jobs if they failed to intervene when federal agents use force. And in a news conference this week, New Orleans’ police superintendent questioned ICE’s arrest of one of the agency’s recruits.
The second-guessing has also spread to smaller cities like Helena, Mont., whose city’s police chief pulled his officers out of a regional drug task force over its decision to collaborate with U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Over the weekend, the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, the nation’s largest and most influential police chief group, called on the White House to convene local, state and federal law enforcement partners for “policy-level discussions aimed at identifying a constructive path forward.”
McDonnell’s backers argue that the role of chief is apolitical, though many of his predecessors became national voices that shaped public safety policy. Speaking out, the chief’s supporters say, risks inviting backlash from the White House and could also affect the long pipeline of federal money the department relies on, for instance, to help fund de-escalation training for officers.
Assemblyman Mark González (D-Los Angeles) was among those who opposed McDonnell over his willingness to work with ICE while serving as Los Angeles County sheriff, but said he now considers him a “great partner” who has supported recent anti-crime legislation.
So he said was disappointed by McDonnell’s unwillingness to call out racial profiling and excessive force by federal agents in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
“We have to trust in a chief who is able to say ICE engaging and detaining 5-year-old kids and detaining flower vendors is not what this system was set up to do,” said González, the Assembly’s majority whip. “It would help when you’d have law enforcement back up a community that they serve.”
Inside the LAPD, top officials have supported McDonnell’s balancing act, suggesting that promises by officials in other cities to detain ICE agents rang hollow.
“Have you seen them arrest any? No,” said Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.
LAPD officers serve on nearly three dozen task forces with federal officials, where they share information and resources to track down criminals, said Hamilton, the department’s chief of detectives. Cooperating with federal partners is essential to tasks including combating “human trafficking on Figueroa” and dismantling international theft rings, he said. As part of these investigations, both sides pool intelligence — arrangements that some privacy rights groups warn are now being exploited in the government’s immigration crackdown.
Hamilton said that “there’s nothing occurring right now that’s going to affect our relationship with the federal government across the board.”
Art Acevedo, a former chief in Houston and Miami, said that for any big-city chief, taking an official position on an issue as divisive as immigration can be complicated.
Being seen as coming out against President Trump comes with “some political risks,” he said.
But chiefs in immigrant-rich cities like Houston and L.A. must weigh that against the potentially irreparable damage to community trust from failing to condemn the recent raids, he said.
“When you don’t speak out, the old adage that silence is deafening is absolutely true. You end up losing the public and you end up putting your own people at risk,” he said. “The truth is that when you are police chief you have a bully pulpit, and what you say or fail to say is important.”
Those with experience on the federal side of the issue said it cuts both ways.
John Sandweg, the former director of ICE under President Obama, said that federal authorities need local cops and the public to feed them info and support operations, but the immigration agency’s “zero tolerance” approach was putting such cooperation “in jeopardy.”
“Ideally, in a perfect world, ICE is able to work within immigrant communities to identify the really bad actors,” he said. “But when you have this zero tolerance, when the quantity of arrests matters far more than the quality of arrests, you eliminate any ability to have that cooperation.”
Times staff writers Brittny Mejia, Ruben Vives and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.
Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.
Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.
After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility’s restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota.” Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.
Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.
“They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools,” she said. “Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.”
A banner is raised at Golenhaven Park after students walked out of Portland’s McDaniel High School on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree temperatures and walked about a mile to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.
“We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. “It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.”
Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.
“For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something,” the sophomore said.
Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday’s “blackout.” Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.
Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.
“As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday,” they posted.
In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said “No ICE for ME,” a play on the state’s postal code.
Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an “enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect.” She said ICE’s actions brought “daily trauma” to the school system.
“Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family,” Valenzuela said.
Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE’s actions in the city.
“Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Dion said.
President Donald Trump and his top officials have repeatedly complained that Minnesota state and local leaders will not cooperate with his administration’s immigration enforcement.
On Jan. 25, the day after federal immigration agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Trump called on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other Democrats “to formally cooperate with the Trump Administration to enforce our Nation’s Laws, rather than resist and stoke the flames of Division, Chaos, and Violence.”
Administration officials say that Minnesota won’t turn over immigrants in detention to federal law enforcement.
Pretti was one of two U.S. citizens killed by immigration officials in Minneapolis in the span of about two weeks. Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Walz “refuses” to allow law enforcement to cooperate. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “we’ve never had a cooperative arrangement with law enforcement here.” And U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told Walz, “The results of your state’s policies and politicians’ anti-law enforcement rhetoric are a national tragedy,” in a Jan. 24 letter describing Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul as sanctuary cities.
The facts are more complicated than these leaders allege. Although Minneapolis’ has a policy that city officials won’t cooperate with immigration enforcement, that policy does not apply to state prisons. State correctional system officials have repeatedly said they cooperate with ICE and Walz made that point in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed.
“Corrections honors all federal and local detainers by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person committed to its custody isn’t a U.S. citizen,” Walz wrote. “There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody.”
After Trump dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota following outcry over Pretti’s killing, Homan acknowledged that the Minnesota Department of Corrections has “been honoring ICE detainers.”
Here, we fact-checked some of the federal officials’ statements.
Trump: Frey’s statement that Minneapolis does not enforce federal immigration law “is a very serious violation of the law.” (Jan. 28 Truth Social post)
Trump’s take conflicts with previous court rulings.
During Trump’s first term, his administration sought to withhold federal funding for sanctuary cities with policies against cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Courts nationwide blocked Trump.
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court refused the Trump administration’s request to review a case challenging a California law that restricts police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
In December, the city of Minneapolis passed an ordinance that says police will not arrest or detain people to enforce federal immigration laws and that the city will not enforce civil federal immigration laws.
Immigration law professors, citing previous rulings, said that such policies are settled constitutional law.
The ordinance adopted by Minneapolis is typical among similar policies, said University of Minnesota law professor R. Linus Chan.
The Constitution’s 10th Amendment that addresses the balance of power between states and the federal government “means that the federal government cannot coerce states to enforce immigration law which is exclusively a federal government concern,” Chan said.
Syracuse University law professor Jenny Breen said sanctuary city laws, including in Minneapolis, recognize the right of states and cities to refuse to do the work of the federal government.
“States may not refuse to permit the federal government itself from doing that work, but they are not obligated to enforce federal laws themselves,” Breen said in an email to PolitiFact, using italics for emphasis.
Trump has threatened to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities and states starting Feb. 1.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, right, and Attorney General Keith Ellison discuss the shooting of Alex Pretti during a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Jan. 25, 2026.
Leavitt: “Walz refuses to allow local and state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE in arresting and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from Minnesota communities.” (Jan. 25 X post)
That’s inaccurate.
Cities and counties set their own policies on whether to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. And state officials said they cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections, which oversees state prisons, launched a website, “Combatting DHS Misinformation,” and held a Jan. 22 press conference to explain the state policies.
State Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said his agency notifies ICE weeks before a person’s prison term ends. ICE has the discretion to place a detainer on the person, and corrections staff coordinate with ICE to facilitate custody transfer when requested.
Schnell said his office reviewed the cases of people who Homeland Security publicly named and found many were never in state custody. Others had short stays in county jails or were in custody in other states. Many had been released directly to ICE.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is seen Jan. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP)
Department of Homeland Security: “DHS has called on Governor Walz and Mayor Frey this week to put the safety of Minnesotans and the American public first and honor the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 1,360 aliens, including violent criminals, in the state’s custody.” (Jan. 15 press release)
DHS’s number contradicts state data on how many noncitizens are held in state custody. It also mischaracterizes the role officials such as Walz and Frey have in setting detention policies.
A state survey found Minnesota prisons hold 207 noncitizens out of 8,000 total prison detainees. There were another 94 noncitizens held in county jails with ICE detainers. That adds up to 301 people — about four and a half times less than DHS claimed.
Schnell, the state prisons commissioner, said Jan. 22 that the state received no answer when it asked federal officials for their data about the 1,360 figure. Although DHS did not provide PolitiFact with evidence for its figure, additional public statements by Homeland Security officials showed that the administration referred to people held in county jails. We found no source for that data.
Hundreds of people in Minnesota’s county jails have been transferred to federal immigration officers, which shows that some counties are cooperative. But The New York Times found those cases represented a lower share than arrests made in 39 other states.
Each sheriff’s office sets its own policy. The sheriff’s website for Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, said it complies with immigration warrants signed by a judge, but not civil immigration requests from ICE.
According to ICE, seven counties and one city in Minnesota have signed agreements to perform specified immigration duties under ICE’s oversight. None of those are in the Minneapolis area.
County jails may be reluctant to hold immigrants for ICE because of a 2025 state attorney general advisory opinion that Minnesota officials can’t hold someone on an ICE detainer alone if that person would otherwise be released from custody.
Courts have found in recent years that holding immigrants for ICE was unconstitutional.
After federal agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis, a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement is slated to take place in uptown Charlotte today.
At least 10 groups — including the Charlotte Clergy Coalition for Justice, Poor People’s Campaign, Indivisible Charlotte and the Party for Socialism and Liberation — publicly are backing the protest.
It is scheduled to take place outside the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building at 2 p.m.
The larger ask from the groups: Stay home, don’t shop and don’t work for the day as part of a general strike. In Minnesota, hundreds of businesses previously shut down to protest ICE’s presence. Other organizers in cities around the country are asking for a general strike today as well.
“Now is the decisive moment,” a social media post from some of the Charlotte groups read this week. “The Minnesota General Strike has given us a historic opening. If we all take a stand now, we can stop the killings and the kidnappings, and end Trump’s war on our most basic rights!”
With the risk of a government shutdown looming, Senate Democrats have been negotiating for some changes to how ICE operates with President Donald Trump.
Charlotte’s congresswoman, Democrat Alma Adams, recently told The Charlotte Observer that what’s happened in Minneapolis recently is “absolutely deplorable.” Adams is one of the lawmakers who has sought to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.
With all the snow and ice still on the streets after Sunday’s storm, one mayor in Maryland asked for volunteers to help clear sidewalks.For middle and high school students in Baltimore, it’s a chance to get credit for volunteer hours. For adults, it’s just the satisfaction of being a neighbor helping a neighbor.Volunteers come armed with shovels and clear walkways within minutes. They’re part of the Baltimore City Snow Corps, and their job is to break the ice and clear the snow — free of charge for homeowners.”I’m not going to lie. It’s very tedious. I (have fun) doing it,” said Joel Rodgers-Turner, a Snow Corps volunteer.”A mess. It’s just a mess. You have to really dig it up and take your time, though,” said Martrell Marshall, another volunteer.The program started with a call from Mayor Brandon Scott.”We are asking for people to help their neighbor. We want volunteers to help shovel out their neighbors across the city of Baltimore,” Scott said in a video posted to Instagram.”Mayor Brandon Scott. Big encouragement to come outside to help Baltimore City,” said Jordan Carter.Volunteers sign up and go to those in need — older adults, people with disabilities and others who may not be able to pick up a shovel and clear snow and ice from sidewalks.”The trucks are doing what they have to do on the streets, so we have to do what we have to do,” Carter said. “When you bring people help, they may help someone else. It’s better when we all come together and get it done. It’s going to get done a lot faster.”The group of volunteers said it has removed snow outside of 60 houses and off 80 cars throughout 12-hour shifts.”We do it quick, like 15 minutes. We’ll be in and out,” said Donta Crosby. “It’s really fun. It’s a fun job. I encourage everybody to volunteer and do it, too.”When volunteers aren’t working, they’re singing about the volunteer job they do.
With all the snow and ice still on the streets after Sunday’s storm, one mayor in Maryland asked for volunteers to help clear sidewalks.
For middle and high school students in Baltimore, it’s a chance to get credit for volunteer hours. For adults, it’s just the satisfaction of being a neighbor helping a neighbor.
Volunteers come armed with shovels and clear walkways within minutes. They’re part of the Baltimore City Snow Corps, and their job is to break the ice and clear the snow — free of charge for homeowners.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s very tedious. I (have fun) doing it,” said Joel Rodgers-Turner, a Snow Corps volunteer.
“A mess. It’s just a mess. You have to really dig it up and take your time, though,” said Martrell Marshall, another volunteer.
The program started with a call from Mayor Brandon Scott.
“We are asking for people to help their neighbor. We want volunteers to help shovel out their neighbors across the city of Baltimore,” Scott said in a video posted to Instagram.
“Mayor Brandon Scott. Big encouragement to come outside to help Baltimore City,” said Jordan Carter.
Volunteers sign up and go to those in need — older adults, people with disabilities and others who may not be able to pick up a shovel and clear snow and ice from sidewalks.
“The trucks are doing what they have to do on the streets, so we have to do what we have to do,” Carter said. “When you bring people help, they may help someone else. It’s better when we all come together and get it done. It’s going to get done a lot faster.”
The group of volunteers said it has removed snow outside of 60 houses and off 80 cars throughout 12-hour shifts.
“We do it quick, like 15 minutes. We’ll be in and out,” said Donta Crosby. “It’s really fun. It’s a fun job. I encourage everybody to volunteer and do it, too.”
When volunteers aren’t working, they’re singing about the volunteer job they do.
Bruce Springsteen has never shied away from speaking up. His song “American Skin (41 Shots)” is labeled as “controversial” for his criticism of the police force. And now he has released an Anti-ICE song. That’s my GUY!!
Springsteen saw what is happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota and responded quickly. The prolific singer songwriter wrote a song on the weekend, when the second civilian in the month of January was shot and killed by ICE agents. Renee Nicole Good was killed on January 7 and Alex Pretti was shot on January 24. Since, there have been protests around the country against ICE, using the phrase “ICE Out” and with many Americans alerting others of where they’ve seen agents.
So it isn’t surprising that Springsteen took this moment of civil unrest and made a song, encouraging his fans to look critically at what ICE is doing in Minnesota. One versus of his song speaks to the deaths of Pretti and Good. “Against smoke and rubber bullets, in the dawn’s early light, citizens stood for justice. Their voices ringin’ through the night and there were bloody footprints where mercy should have stood. And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
The chorus is a call to remember this time and what is happening in Minnesota. “Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice singing through the bloody mist. We’ll take our stand for this land and the stranger in our midst. Here in our home, they killed and roamed in the winter of ’26. We’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.”
A theme within Bruce Springsteen’s music
Springsteen has a song “The Streets of Philadelphia” that tells the tale of a man dying of AIDs. It was written for the film Philadelphia and is a fictional story but it does a similar thing as “The Streets of Minneapolis.” It is a rallying call.
Men like “King Trump,” as the song calls the President, will proudly use songs like “Born in the USA” and miss Springsteen’s messaging within it. And now there is no mistaking what Springsteen means with “The Streets of Minneapolis.”
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is the Editor in Chief of the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
California Democrats have assumed leading roles in their party’s counter-offensive to the Trump administration’s massive immigration crackdown — seizing on a growing sense, shared by some Republicans, that the campaign has gotten so out of hand that the political winds have shifted heavily in their favor.
They stalled Department of Homeland Security funding in the Senate and pushed the impeachment of Secretary Kristi Noem in the House. They strategized against a threatened move by President Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and challenged administration policies and street tactics in federal court. And they have shown up in Minneapolis to express outrage and demanded Department of Justice records following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens there.
The push comes at an extremely tense moment, as Minneapolis and the nation reel from the fatal weekend shooting of Alex Pretti, and served as an impetus for a spending deal reached late Thursday between Senate Democrats and the White House to avert another partial government shutdown. The compromise would allow lawmakers to fund large parts of the federal government while giving them more time to negotiate new restrictions for immigration agents.
“This is probably one of the few windows on immigration specifically where Democrats find themselves on offense,” said Mike Madrid, a California Republican political consultant. “It is a rare and extraordinary moment.”
Both of the state’s Democratic senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, came out in staunch opposition to the latest Homeland Security funding measure in Congress, vowing to block it unless the administration scales back its street operations and reins in masked agents who have killed Americans in multiple shootings, clashed with protestors and provoked communities with aggressive tactics.
Under the agreement reached Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security will be funded for two weeks — a period of time that in theory will allow lawmakers to negotiate guardrails for the federal agency. The measure still will need to be approved by the House, though it is not clear when they will hold a vote — meaning a short shutdown still could occur even if the Senate deal is accepted.
Padilla negotiated with the White House to separate the controversial measures in question — to provide $64.4 billion for Homeland Security and $10 billion specifically for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — from a broader spending package that also funds the Pentagon, the State Department and health, education and transportation agencies.
Senate Democrats vowed to not give more money to federal immigration agencies, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection, unless Republicans agree to require agents to wear body cameras, take off masks during operations and stop making arrests and searching homes without judicial warrants. All Senate Democrats and seven Senate Republicans blocked passage of the broader spending package earlier Thursday.
“Anything short of meaningful, enforceable reforms for Trump’s out-of-control ICE and CBP is a non-starter,” Padilla said in a statement after the earlier vote. “We need real oversight, accountability and enforcement for both the agents on the ground and the leaders giving them their orders. I will not vote for anything less.”
Neither Padilla nor Schiff immediately responded to requests for comment on the deal late Thursday.
Even if Democrats block Homeland Security funding after the two-week deal expires, immigration operations would not stop. That’s because ICE received $75 billion under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year — part of an unprecedented $178 billion provided to Homeland Security through the mega-bill.
Trump said Thursday he was working “in a very bipartisan way” to reach a compromise on the funding package. “Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown, we are working on that right now,” he said. “I think we are getting close. I don’t think Democrats want to see it either.”
The administration has eased its tone and admitted mistakes in its immigration enforcement campaign since Pretti’s killing, but hasn’t backed down completely or paused operations in Minneapolis, as critics demanded.
This week Padilla and Schiff joined other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee in calling on the Justice Department to open a civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by immigration agents in Minneapolis. In a letter addressed to Assistant Atty. Gen. for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, they questioned her office’s decision to forgo an investigation, saying it reflected a trend of “ignoring the enforcement of civil rights laws in favor of carrying out President Trump’s political agenda.”
Dhillon did not respond to a request for comment. Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche said there is “currently no basis” for such an investigation.
Schiff also has been busy preparing his party for any move by Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give the president broad authority to deploy military troops into American cities. Trump has threatened to take that move, which would mark a dramatic escalation of his immigration campaign.
A spokesperson confirmed to The Times that Schiff briefed fellow Democrats during a caucus lunch Wednesday on potential strategies for combating such a move.
“President Trump and his allies have been clear and intentional in laying the groundwork to invoke the Insurrection Act without justification and could exploit the very chaos that he has fueled in places like Minneapolis as the pretext to do so,” Schiff said in a statement. “Whether he does so in connection with immigration enforcement or to intimidate voters during the midterm elections, we must not be caught flat-footed if he takes such an extreme step to deploy troops to police our streets.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, announced he will serve as one of three Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry into Noem, whom Democrats have blasted for allowing and excusing violence by agents in Minneapolis and other cities.
Garcia called the shootings of Good and Pretti “horrific and shocking,” so much so that even some Republicans are acknowledging the “severity of what happened” — creating an opening for Noem’s impeachment.
“It’s unacceptable what’s happening right now, and Noem is at the top of this agency that’s completely rogue,” he said Thursday. “People are being killed on the streets.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) went to Minneapolis this week to talk to residents and protesters about the administration’s presence in their city, which he denounced as unconstitutional and violent.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has gone after a slew of Trump immigration policies both in California and across the country — including by backing a lawsuit challenging immigration deployments in the Twin Cities, and joining in a letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi denouncing the administration’s attempts to “exploit the situation in Minnesota” by demanding local leaders turn over state voter data in exchange for federal agents leaving.
California’s leaders are far from alone in pressing hard for big changes.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the head of the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.) and a top ally of Pope Leo XIV, sharply criticized immigration enforcement this week, calling ICE a “lawless organization” and backing the interruption of funding to the agency. On Thursday the NAACP and other prominent civil rights organizations sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) arguing that ICE should be “fully dissolved” and that Homeland Security funding should be blocked until a slate of “immediate and enforceable restrictions” are placed on its operations.
Madrid, the Republican consultant, said California’s leaders have a clear reason to push for policies that protect immigrants, given the state is home to 1 in 4 foreign-born Americans and immigration is “tied into the fabric of California.”
And at a moment when Trump and other administration officials clearly realize “how far out of touch and how damaging” their immigration policies have become politically, he said, California’s leaders have a real opportunity to push their own agenda forward — especially if it includes clear, concrete solutions to end the recent “egregious, extra-constitutional violation of rights” that many Americans find so objectionable.
However, Madrid warned that Democrats wasted a similar opportunity after the unrest around the killing of George Floyd by calling to “defund the police,” which was politically unpopular, and could fall into a similar pitfall if they push for abolishing ICE.
“You’ve got a moment here where you can either fix [ICE], or lean into the political moment and say ‘abolish it,’” he said. “The question becomes, can Democrats run offense? Or will they do what they too often have done with this issue, which is snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?”
