The extent of the casualties will be difficult if not impossible to quantify, according to several doctors I spoke with, because the influx of cases far exceeded the capacity of many hospitals. Many patients were not admitted, and some who were admitted were not logged in hospital systems. The medical records that do exist have, in some cases, been tampered with or destroyed, either by security forces or hospital workers coöperating with the regime. Medical workers sympathetic to the uprising, meanwhile, have also changed the names and injuries listed on some patients’ medical charts, to protect their identities from authorities.
Medical workers have begun quietly doing their own record-keeping. One hospital employee in the northern city of Rasht told me that he had photographed hundreds of pieces of evidence, including CT scans and X-rays, from two emergency wards where he had volunteered during the massacre. “I want the world to know that these people existed, and that they have paid a price for their freedom,” the employee, who I will call Anush, told me. So far, he has collected records for nearly five hundred admitted patients, the majority of whom suffered trauma injuries. The images and scans, which he shared with me, compose an eerie tableau of the dystopian scenes that he witnessed in January: one X-ray showed a bullet that shattered the femur of a forty-seven-year-old mother, who had tried to shield her son from gunfire. One brain scan showed a metal pellet, which had partially blinded a nurse after she was shot in the head while exiting the hospital. “The wards felt like a war zone, run by regime thugs,” Anush said. Agents in plain clothes followed protesters into operating rooms, then detained them when they had completed their medical treatment. On several occasions, Anush said that he saw officers intervene during a surgical procedure, resulting in scuffles with medical staff. A medical intern was hospitalized after he was shot with metal pellets at close range.
He recalled a mother rushing into the ward to show surgeons and nurses a photograph on her phone of her missing son. Soon after she left, officers dragged in a corpse, which “had the face of that mother’s son,” Anush said. He recognized the man easily from the photo she had shown him. “His hands were bound and there was a bullet wound in his head.”
Once it became clear that the emergency wards themselves weren’t safe, “many colleagues started calling in sick—or not showing up for their shifts,” Anush said. He began volunteering at a privately owned clinic, which was filled with injured people. And yet word of the clinic’s existence soon reached security officers, who vandalized it and interrogated the doctor who ran it.
For many of the wounded, the threat of disappearing into Iran’s prisons far outweighs the risks of forgoing medical help. The problem has been especially grim in remote regions, where private clinics are scarce, and patients must travel long distances to get care. Volunteers have organized medical convoys and ferried patients across the country to safe operating rooms.
On a recent January evening, a team of volunteers set out to collect protesters from a city in northern Iran, where they were stranded in their homes with trauma wounds that they had sustained earlier that month. The protesters needed to be transferred to private hospitals, which were better equipped, and where specialists could operate on them. Several of the wounded had bullet holes in their legs or feet. One young woman, who had been struck in the eye by a rubber bullet, was at risk of going blind.
The convoy’s destination was another city, about two hundred miles away. Relatives of the injured drove ahead, in separate cars, and alerted the convoy to checkpoints or police who patrolled intersections along their route. “It was stressful,” one of the volunteers told me. “It was a long drive, and they had a lot of pain.” The driver, nicknamed Renas, tried to keep pace while avoiding potholes. He played music, and sang folk songs to “distract them from their fear—and from mine.” Five hours later, just before sunrise, he delivered the injured to another team of volunteers, who escorted them into safe houses before they could draw attention from police. “I was relieved,” Renas told me. But they did not arrive in time to save the young woman’s eye, which was removed by an ophthalmologist days later. “We are fighting with a wooden spoon,” he said, “against a government that is armed to the teeth.”
*** partial government shutdown is not inevitable at this point. Lawmakers are still negotiating. Immigration enforcement, however, has emerged as the flashpoint in these talks with Minnesota driving the standoff. White House border czar Tom Homan spoke for the first time since taking over immigration operations in Minnesota after federal agents killed two Americans. I’m not here because of The federal government has carried its mission out perfectly, Homan said. The administration will continue its immigration crackdown in Minnesota, but also said federal immigration authorities are working on *** plan that would remove agents from the state if local officials agree to cooperate with immigration enforcement. This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down. On the number of people we have here. Following those remarks, Minneapolis’ mayor pressed for the immigration operation to end immediately. It is less safe when we have roving bands of agents marching down the street just looking for somebody who might be concerned, and I’ve got to tell you, everybody is concerned when you have that kind of occupation on Capitol Hill, *** partial government shutdown inches closer, and Senate Democrats are making their own demands of immigration enforcement. What ICE is doing. Outside the law is state sanctioned thuggery, and it must stop. The Senate has until Friday to pass 6 spending bills, including for Homeland Security. The motion is not agreed to. *** failed vote on the package Thursday sets up *** potential last minute effort before the weekend. The president says his administration is speaking with lawmakers. Hopefully we won’t have *** shutdown. We’re working on that right now. I think we’re getting close. The Democrats, I don’t believe, want to see it either. Senator Schumer says they may vote to pass the other appropriations bills that do not include funding for Homeland Security. In Washington, I’m Christopher Sales.
Border czar says ICE could drawdown in Minnesota as shutdown deadline looms
Immigration enforcement in Minnesota has become a focal point in the ongoing negotiations to prevent a partial government shutdown, with Democrats demanding changes following recent deaths.
White House border czar Tom Homan spoke for the first time since taking over immigration operations in Minnesota after two Americans were killed by federal agents.”I’m not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly,” Homan said. “I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect.”He stated that the administration will continue its immigration crackdown in Minnesota but is working on a plan to remove agents if state and local officials agree to cooperate with immigration enforcement.”This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here,” Homan said.Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for an immediate end to the immigration operation. “It is less safe when we have roving bands of agents marching down the street just looking for somebody who might be concerned. And I got to tell you, everybody is concerned when you have that kind of occupation,” Frey said.On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats are making demands regarding immigration enforcement. “What ICE is doing, outside the law, is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader. As Congress faces a deadline to pass six appropriations bills, including funding for Homeland Security, immigration enforcement in Minnesota has become a central issue in the negotiations to prevent a partial government shutdown.The Senate has until Friday to pass six spending bills, including one for Homeland Security. A failed vote on the package Thursday sets up a potential last-minute vote before the weekend.Democrats have stated they will not support Homeland Security funding unless immigration enforcement changes, including requiring agents to identify themselves, obtain warrants for arrests, coordinate more closely with local law enforcement, and face stricter accountability when rules are violated. They argue these changes are necessary following the deaths in Minnesota.President Donald Trump expressed optimism about avoiding a shutdown. “Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown. We’re working on that right now, I think we’re getting close,” Trump said.Even a partial shutdown could have immediate impacts, with travelers potentially facing airport delays, hundreds of thousands of federal workers missing paychecks or working without pay, some federal loans being delayed, and key economic data like the monthly jobs report being put on hold.
“I’m not here because the federal government has carried its mission out perfectly,” Homan said. “I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here has been perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect.”
He stated that the administration will continue its immigration crackdown in Minnesota but is working on a plan to remove agents if state and local officials agree to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
“This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here,” Homan said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for an immediate end to the immigration operation. “It is less safe when we have roving bands of agents marching down the street just looking for somebody who might be concerned. And I got to tell you, everybody is concerned when you have that kind of occupation,” Frey said.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats are making demands regarding immigration enforcement. “What ICE is doing, outside the law, is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, the minority leader.
As Congress faces a deadline to pass six appropriations bills, including funding for Homeland Security, immigration enforcement in Minnesota has become a central issue in the negotiations to prevent a partial government shutdown.
The Senate has until Friday to pass six spending bills, including one for Homeland Security. A failed vote on the package Thursday sets up a potential last-minute vote before the weekend.
Democrats have stated they will not support Homeland Security funding unless immigration enforcement changes, including requiring agents to identify themselves, obtain warrants for arrests, coordinate more closely with local law enforcement, and face stricter accountability when rules are violated. They argue these changes are necessary following the deaths in Minnesota.
President Donald Trump expressed optimism about avoiding a shutdown. “Hopefully we won’t have a shutdown. We’re working on that right now, I think we’re getting close,” Trump said.
Even a partial shutdown could have immediate impacts, with travelers potentially facing airport delays, hundreds of thousands of federal workers missing paychecks or working without pay, some federal loans being delayed, and key economic data like the monthly jobs report being put on hold.
David Adelman couldn’t make sense of what he was watching, but he could make out the neighborhood. Minneapolis was his first NBA home. He knew the city well. Just not in this ravaged state.
“That’s a great community of people,” the first-year head coach of the Nuggets said. “I lived there for five years. And it was just so weird to see exactly where it was in the city, because I knew exactly where it was. And from the drone shot, it looked like a war zone. And that’s the country we live in.”
Before the Nuggets hosted the Pistons on Tuesday night, Adelman took a moment to reflect on the unrest in Minneapolis and the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents last Saturday.
“Just as a human being, that’s really hard to watch,” he said. “I’d say beyond that, if you want to look at this in layers, how do you explain it to your kids? It’s tough. My kids are of an age where they know what’s going on. Watching that video and trying to explain it to them makes you realize that I don’t know what the hell is going on either.”
The NBA postponed last Saturday’s game between the Timberwolves and Warriors “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community” after the shooting of Pretti, according to a statement from the league.
The game was made up on Sunday, with anti-ICE chants echoing through Target Center at the end of a pregame moment of silence for Pretti. The day before Pretti’s death, mass protests had been held in Minneapolis speaking out against the federal government’s deployment of ICE to enforce Donald Trump’s immigration policy. Renee Good was shot and killed on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis amid the crackdown.
“For the second time in less than three weeks, we’ve lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said through tears on Sunday. “As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch. We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti, family, all the loved ones and everyone involved in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are, by nature, peaceful and prideful. We just stand in support of our great community here.”
Adelman, 44, was an assistant coach for the Timberwolves under his father, Naismith Hall of Famer Rick Adelman, from 2011-16. It was his first job in the NBA in a career that eventually led him to Denver, where he replaced Michael Malone as the Nuggets’ head coach in April.
In Denver, protesters held a rally against ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration policy on Sunday at the Capitol.
“It’s not about politics,” Adelman said. “It’s about human beings just taking care of each other, even if you don’t agree with each other. So yeah, extremely hard to watch. … I just hope we can figure it out. It’s supposed to be a bipartisan country. Hopefully, we can do that, come together. Whatever your main political views are, let’s not shoot each other.”
Registered nurse Silvia Lu was working the day shift at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland when she read about the shooting death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was protesting the ICE immigration crackdown on the streets of Minneapolis.
On a day shift in the emergency department Saturday, where Lu often cares for children recovering from heart surgeries and car crashes, she struggled to hold back her emotions.
“I held my tears back the whole day,” she said.
She carried that pent-up grief outside the hospital Monday evening, where she joined about 200 others, mostly nurses, in a candlelight vigil to remember the 37-year-old Minnesota nurse whose death has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge.
Just weeks earlier, videos circulating online showed an ICE officer shooting and killing Renee Good, another Minnesota protester and mother of three, as she attempted to drive away during a separate enforcement operation, according to media reports.
“I just felt I needed to do something. I needed to stand up for this and to just make myself present to the horrendous things that are going on in this country,” said Mary Dhont, a nurse in the hospital’s outpatient infusion clinic who joined the vigil organized by the California Nurses Association. “This is just the latest in a string. But it was horrible. The fact that he was a nurse just brought it closer to home.”
Registered nurse Hannah Pelletier, center, friend Tim McNamara, left, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
The nurses’ vigil came after a weekend of scattered protests in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland over Pretti’s death.
So far, the Bay Area has been spared the kind of sweeping federal operation underway in Minneapolis. There, videos and news reports have shown ICE agents pulling people from their vehicles and detaining children during enforcement actions. Separate bystander videos captured the shootings of both Pretti and Good.
In October, after President Donald Trump sent 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, he threatened to deploy them to San Francisco as well to clean up the city’s “mess.” But the president backed off after appeals from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and tech executives, including Marc Benioff, the Salesforce CEO whose family name is attached to the Oakland children’s hospital.
On Monday, in a petition circulating online, a group of tech workers urged Silicon Valley executives to flex their political muscle again and “cancel all company contracts with ICE.”
“This cannot continue, and we know the tech industry can make a difference,” they wrote. “Today, we’re calling on our CEOs to pick up the phone again.”
Nurses said they were especially worried about the families of their young patients.
Registered nurse Michelle Trautman, center, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
“We take care of a lot of families, immigrant families, patients that may not have the ability to afford care otherwise,” said nurse Michelle Trautman. “And I’m concerned that they’re going to try and take advantage of that vulnerability to grab some of our patients and send them away when they obviously need care.”
In the hours after Pretti’s death, Trump administration officials said the shooting was justified, arguing that because Pretti carried a legally registered handgun in his waistband, he posed a threat to officers and intended a “massacre.” Trump adviser Stephen Miller called Pretti an “assassin.”
Those characterizations outraged his family and Democratic politicians, who pointed to bystander videos showing Pretti helping a woman who had been pushed by an ICE agent and holding only his camera.
He was pinned to the ground by multiple ICE agents, the videos show, and his gun had already been pulled from his waistband by an agent when he was shot several times.
The Bay Area’s Democratic congressional delegation has responded by voting against a Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would provide additional funding for ICE.
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
“I cannot and will not continue to fund lawlessness or federal agencies that terrorize families in their own neighborhoods and criminalize people for seeking opportunity and refuge,” U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, said in a statement. “What we’re witnessing is cruel, immoral, and completely at odds with the promise of the American dream.”
U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, San Jose’s former mayor, also voted against further funding.
“ICE has abandoned its mission of removing violent criminals in favor of detaining children, shooting Americans, and terrorizing our communities,” he said in a statement.
At the busy intersection of 52nd Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Monday evening, streams of cars honked and waved as they passed nurses and other supporters holding signs reading “Melt ICE” and “Justice for Alex Pretti.”
Aaron Cortez, of Oakland, attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Aaron Cortez, 28, of Alameda, said fear drove him to attend the vigil.
His family has lived in California for generations, with relatives who served in the U.S. military, but he still worries about a potential ICE raid.
“They just see me by the color of my skin, and that worries me,” said Cortez, who cares for ailing relatives at home. “And so I decided to come out because I had to, I needed to show that we’re all here together, that no matter what happens, we will all protect each other.”
Former San Francisco city attorney Nancy Tavernit, right, attends a protest at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Nurse practitioner Sarah Malin-Roodman attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers and community members protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Retired nurse Gina Shepherd attends a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Registered nurse Hannah Pelletier, center, and others attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Community members Mary Larson and Simone Schmidt, from left, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare professionals and community members attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers Wendy Bloom, Holly Alley and Sherry Alcock, from left, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Registered nurse Michelle Trautman, and friend Hannah Pelletier, from right, attend a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Nurse practitioner and midwife Kate McGlashan, right, and others protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
Healthcare workers and community members take part in a protest outside of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Protesters are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)l
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Former San Francisco city attorney Nancy Tavernit, right, attends a protest at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Healthcare professionals and others are demanding justice and the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) in the wake of the killing of Veteran’s Administration nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
On Saturday, agents with U.S. Border Patrol killed a man named Alex Jeffrey Pretti, the second person who has been shot dead by federal personnel in Minneapolis since President Donald Trump launched an immigration-enforcement operation in the city earlier this month. After the first killing, of a woman named Renee Good, who was shot behind the wheel of her car by an ICE agent, federal officials made clear that they had little interest in conducting an impartial investigation into the circumstances of her death. During a press conference, Vice-President J. D. Vance said that federal officials have “absolute immunity” in performing their duties. In the aftermath of Pretti’s death, which has prompted even some Republican officeholders to call for an investigation, state officials have accused the federal government of blocking access to the scene of the shooting. Multiple members of the Trump Administration have called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” and falsely described what occurred when he was gunned down, which was captured on video. On Saturday night, a federal judge ordered the government not to destroy or alter evidence after a lawsuit was filed by Minnesota authorities.
To talk about what state officials can and cannot do to investigate and prosecute crimes allegedly committed by federal officials, I spoke by phone with Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown who writes a newsletter on legal issues called “One First.” During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed why the law on these questions is so unsettled, how the Trump Administration could try to sabotage potential state actions, and how the Supreme Court might view future cases that feature a clash between executive power and states’ rights.
Tell me if this is helpful—there are two different ways it can be difficult for states to investigate or prosecute federal officials. One of them has to do with the law itself as defined by the courts, and the second has to do with the Trump Administration trying to throw up every roadblock it can. Those seem like different things.
I think that’s very helpful. There’s both the question of whether the law would allow a prosecution and whether as a matter of pure logistics, the prosecution is viable. We haven’t usually had to worry about the second one, but we certainly have to worry about it right now.
So then let’s start with the first one, which relates to why it could be complicated for state officials to charge federal officers with crimes in a state such as Minnesota. What is the primary legal roadblock?
The primary legal roadblock is the doctrine that’s become known as supremacy-clause immunity. This is a not-very-well-developed idea dating back to an 1890 Supreme Court decision, which basically says that federal officers are immune from the consequences of state law for actions they’re performing in the legitimate exercise of their federal duties. And the idea, which I think is actually relatively uncontroversial, is that federal officers who are lawfully acting within their federal duties are necessarily acting in a way that has to override contrary state laws. It’s analogous in that respect to the doctrine that’s generally known as preëmption—that valid federal laws will always displace valid state laws.
So the idea here, in the best case, is that if federal officials are trying to enforce desegregation at a school in the South in the nineteen-fifties, for instance, then state and local officials cannot mess with them?
That’s exactly right. You can’t prosecute federal officers for trespassing, for example, for enforcing a court order on a public school in the civil-rights era.
Was the thinking behind the decision so high-minded, though, back in 1890?
Actually, it was. So, the 1890 decision is this remarkably colorful case about the attempted assassination of Justice Stephen Field, and the question was whether his bodyguard, who was a deputy U.S. marshal, could be prosecuted by California for the murder of the Justice’s would-be assassin. And that was a context where I don’t think it’s especially surprising that the Supreme Court was of the view that the federal officer was immune from prosecution under state law for protecting one of their colleagues.
What other decisions have come up about these questions since 1890?
The biggest problem is that there really haven’t been that many cases, and virtually none that have gone back to the Supreme Court. Most of the development of the doctrine has actually been in lower courts. And one of the things I think is unhelpful is that, even when lower courts held in at least some of these cases that prosecutions could go forward, they were often dropped by the prosecutors before they produced a verdict. So we actually have a very, very tiny number of examples of successful state prosecutions of federal officers in American history. Of course, one might also say we don’t have that many examples in American history of what’s been happening in Minneapolis over the past three weeks.
Has the Supreme Court ruled that Congress needs to provide authorization for states to go after federal officials? Am I understanding that correctly?
The Supreme Court has never said that. There are other contexts in which the Supreme Court has said that Congress needs to specifically authorize, for example, [civil] damages suits before federal officers can be sued for violating the Constitution. But we’ve never quite had that ruling in the context of criminal prosecutions. And that’s because these cases have been so few and far between.
The real development in case law has been trying to figure out exactly where the line is between the officer who was immunized because he was acting in good faith and the officer who went too far and should have known that he was going too far. There is a 2006 ruling in the federal appeals court in Denver, which was written by Michael McConnell, a very highly regarded and pretty right-of-center federal appeals judge. And McConnell says you can prosecute federal officers if it wasn’t necessary and reasonable for the officer, in the carrying out of their federal duties, to do what they did.
And that ruling has held?
I think the best that can be said is it’s the law of the Tenth Circuit right now. Minnesota is in the Eighth Circuit. So we’re in a place where there’s no obvious binding authority on this issue for state or local prosecutors.
But let’s say that state or local prosecutors in Minnesota decide that that’s a good standard that you laid out from McConnell. Could you potentially have a situation where the question of whether what the federal officials were doing was “necessary and reasonable” would go to court?
“Is that the one we were following before?” Sam asked.
“No, that was an Expedition. This is a Suburban,” John, who was driving, replied. He took out a pair of binoculars and looked at the license plate, which was out of state.
“Oh, yeah, this is the intimidator guy,” he said, without elaboration.
A license-plate check with other observers in their chat confirmed that the car was a known ICE vehicle. Maintaining about a block of distance between them, John and Sam began following the S.U.V. (The A.C.L.U. has said that following law enforcement vehicles at a safe distance is legal as long as active operations aren’t obstructed and traffic laws are obeyed.) The Suburban’s driver soon became cognizant that he was being followed, and a game of cat and mouse began. At one point, the S.U.V. made a U-turn and drove past us. The driver, who wore glasses and no mask, gave a little wave.
“That was the first unmasked one I’ve seen,” John said.
Later, after temporarily parting ways with the S.U.V., the observers met it at a right angle at an intersection. John reversed, backing up and then stopping along the side of the street to avoid the impression that he was seeking an active confrontation. The S.U.V. turned into the oncoming traffic lane so that it now directly blocked us. For a minute, nothing happened. Then the S.U.V. pulled up alongside us, and its passengers rolled down their windows. This time they wore face coverings. In the back seat, one of the men held his phone camera out. (ICE uses facial-recognition technology to identify people.) The driver of the S.U.V. made a pointing gesture at John, then drove on.
“It probably already was, but now your car is, like, completely made,” Sam said.
“I’ve had them film it so many times,” John said.
They decided not to continue following the S.U.V.
The volunteer observation system has the flaws common to any vigilante system. Observers can get overzealous, and have misidentified ordinary people as federal agents. But John and Sam clearly felt that, without their observation, nobody would be holding ICE accountable. Local law-enforcement agencies, for the most part, have not intervened in ICE actions.
“We have a paramilitary force in our city acting beyond the Constitution consistently,” Sam said. “Clearly, they are just racially profiling people straight up, right? Complete violations of the Fourth Amendment, everywhere.”
“I just worry, like, what does it get us? I agree with you, but how do you enforce the Constitution?” John said.
They sat for a minute.
“You drive around,” John said.
“You drive around the neighborhood with a friend and make the best decisions you can,” Sam agreed.
Some restaurants in Minneapolis now keep their doors locked. The owners of a small neighborhood restaurant in South Minneapolis, a married couple who asked to stay anonymous because they feared retribution from the government, told me that they have started driving their nonwhite employees to and from work to try to protect them. (They submitted the necessary I-9 forms to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for all of their employees on hiring, they said, although the wife added, “We’re not document experts.”) When I met the couple at their restaurant one morning before lunch service, they both started to cry. The husband, who is a person of color, described how he now carries his passport card with him at all times, as does their son; the wife, who is white, feels less threatened. They listed several restaurants in the area that have made the decision to close, either to protect their staff or because their workers were too afraid to come in.
“It feels like there’s a really broad swath of people that they are going after that has less to do with their, like, actual status and more to do with just vibes—you know, do you have an accent? What color is your skin? Are you going to culturally relevant grocery stores or restaurants or churches?” Athena Hollins, a state representative from a district in St. Paul, told me. “That’s reflected across the Twin Cities, because we’ve had so many people who have been detained who are U.S. citizens.”
Some protesters, like M., have broken through the digital shutdown using Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite-internet service, which is banned in Iran. Security agents have been going door to door, raiding homes to confiscate satellite dishes and arresting anyone who is using the service. Authorities have warned that citizens caught using Starlink could be sent to prison for up to two years. Iran’s attorney general has said that all “rioters” will be considered “enemies of God,” a charge that could lead to their execution. “Let them find me,” M. told me. “I could have been killed a hundred times during these past few days. There are too many dead. The world should know what has happened here.”
Several months ago, M. was sitting in a prison cell while security forces searched his home after the government alleged that he was a foreign spy. It was days after Israel started attacking Iran, in June, and the Iranian authorities had ordered a manhunt for suspected infiltrators. At least twenty-one thousand were arrested, including M., who believes he was targeted for publishing anti-government posts on social media. He was released, but the experience hardened his rage for the regime. “They only know how to govern with fear,” he said.
His resentment carried him into the streets of Mashhad to join the protests, which reached a fever pitch, days later, after Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of the former Shah, posted a video that urged Iranians to join anti-government demonstrations in cities across the country on Thursday and Friday. They were emboldened further by President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that the United States would come to their “rescue” if protesters were killed. “People lost their fear,” M. told me. “They all left their homes to fight for a new future—and they were slaughtered for it.”
M. and his friends provided me with videos, which have been verified and support key parts of the narrative put forward by witnesses. The clips have been altered to protect the identities of those depicted. The interview with M. has been edited for length and clarity.
Part 1
I will try my best to tell you what happened. My wife is scared every hour at night. She goes and checks the windows to make sure no one is there. She doesn’t want me to talk to you, but they have killed so many people, and I need to do this.
It all started because of crazy inflation. The craziest inflation in our life. First we saw online that people in the biggest bazaar in Tehran had started protesting. I saw Trump talking about Iran, and he said that if the government shoots the protesters the U.S. is going to shoot back. We believed him. Trump is a man of his word. Also, online, everyone was sharing a video post from Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, encouraging us to protest.
Suddenly, everyone lost their fear. Before that day, no one had the courage to post Instagram Stories about the protests, because they knew that they would go to jail. But, this time, it was like everyone was supporting Pahlavi. They reposted his video, putting him in their stories. There was this feeling: “We’re gonna make it this time.” That was how we felt that day. Everyone was writing on social media—“just get to a street. Walking is not a crime.” Then many other people across the country started filling the streets in every big city.
Part 2
I couldn’t believe what I saw on Thursday. It started as a normal day. The government shut down the internet at 7 P.M., one hour before the Thursday protests began. I decided to go out, but I didn’t bring my phone, because the government can follow people.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send federal troops to Minneapolis to assist ICE agents who have been conducting extensive and violent operations in the city. Clashes between those agents and protesters have intensified over the past ten days, after an ICE agent shot and killed a Minneapolis resident named Renee Good. Trump has previously raised the prospect of using the Insurrection Act—which grants the President vast powers to deploy the military to enforce domestic law—if, he said, courts, governors, or mayors were “holding us up.”
To talk about the history and text of the Insurrection Act, and exactly what it does and does not allow, I recently spoke by phone with Elizabeth Goitein, the senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National Security Program, and an expert on Presidential emergency powers. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we also discussed the possible limits courts might place on the President, the arguments over Supreme Court precedents and how they might alternately impede or liberate Trump, and the dangers of the military working as a “force amplifier” for ICE.
Before the President’s declaration on Thursday that he might invoke the Insurrection Act, for months he had been sending the National Guard to cities, although that seems to have come to an end after a recent Supreme Court ruling. Can you talk about what that ruling said and why it may have stymied the President, at least in terms of the National Guard?
It actually didn’t stymie the President in terms of the National Guard. It stymied the President in terms of the law he was relying on, which is 10 U.S.C. § 12406. That law does authorize federalization and deployment of the National Guard, but so does the Insurrection Act, and the Supreme Court did not rule on the Insurrection Act. So insofar as the Insurrection Act is still on the table, federalization of the National Guard is still on the table.
What the Supreme Court held was that Trump could not rely on 10 U.S.C. § 12406 except in situations where he also had legal authority to deploy active-duty armed forces, but where deploying those armed forces would not be sufficient to execute the laws of the United States. And that ruling was based on language in 10 U.S.C. § 12406 saying that the President can federalize the National Guard only if the President is unable with regular forces to execute the law.
Right, so that was a 6–3 ruling, with Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, and Amy Coney Barrett joining the three more liberal justices. The ruling makes it seem that the law is written, or interpreted by the Supreme Court, in a way that suggests that deploying the National Guard is more serious than deploying regular armed forces because you have to exhaust your possibilities with the regular armed forces before mobilizing the National Guard. I think most people listening to this would think, Oh, the National Guard would be less serious than actually sending in a division of the Marines.
Yes, it is certainly counterintuitive. It seems like pulling out a howitzer when a rifle would suffice, but it’s actually not. You have to look at what was going on in the early nineteen hundreds s when 10 U.S.C. § 12406 was passed. It’s not that the National Guard was considered to be more serious at the time; it’s that the National Guard was thought to be less competent. The National Guard was considered to be unruly, undisciplined, and disorganized, to the point that when they were deployed, it often resulted in bloodshed, or at least that was the perception back then. That’s why the legislative history is what it is.
But 10 U.S.C. § 12406 is the only law that requires that active-duty armed forces be first, or at least that the President considers using them before going to the National Guard. The Insurrection Act does not have any such requirements. So, under the Insurrection Act, the President could deploy federalized National Guard forces if that’s what he wanted to do.
Let’s then take a step back. Can you talk about what the Insurrection Act is?
I think the best way to think about the Insurrection Act is that it’s the primary exception to the Posse Comitatus Act. That’s the law that normally prohibits federal armed forces from participating in civilian law enforcement. The Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy active-duty armed forces or to federalize and deploy National Guard forces to quell civil unrest or to execute the law in a crisis.
Posse Comitatus was signed into law in 1878. The Insurrection Act is an amalgamation of laws passed between 1792 and 1874. So even the last meaningful update of the Insurrection Act happened before the passage of Posse Comitatus. At the time, it was an authorization, not an exception. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibited federal armed forces from participating in law enforcement unless there is an express statutory or constitutional exception. And the Insurrection Act, which already existed, constitutes such an exception.
I recently read a piece by Jack Goldsmith basically saying that the Insurrection Act more or less gives the President power to do what he wants—incredibly broad power. Is that your analysis, too?
Well, it gives the President remarkable power. I don’t think it gives the President the power to do anything he wants. There are criteria in the Insurrection Act for deployment. Those criteria are on their face broad, and the law gives the President significant discretion. However, the Department of Justice has long taken the position that the law is limited by the Constitution and tradition, and so the department has interpreted the Insurrection Act to apply in a much narrower set of circumstances than the actual text of the law would suggest. I think that’s an important gloss.
Does it matter what the Department of Justice said in the past, given how we’ve seen the D.O.J. act in 2026?
Well, the Department of Justice tends to argue that it matters what it has said in the past. Now, of course, this Department of Justice might not make that argument, but certainly anyone challenging the invocation of the Insurrection Act will. And they won’t just be saying that the Court should defer to the Department of Justice’s past interpretations. They will be pointing out that those interpretations are in fact grounded in the Constitution and tradition.
What kind of limits has the department thought were reasonable in the past?
A new report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis indicates there has been a massive increase in Bitcoin adoption in Iran over the past month, as the country deals with nationwide unrest and protests. The report specifically looks at the increase in withdrawals from crypto exchanges to unknown Bitcoin addresses, which indicates the local population is avoiding centralized financial infrastructure in the country in favor of the decentralized, peer-to-peer digital cash system.
In terms of specifics, the report shows a 262% increase in the amount of withdrawals valued at more than $10,000 into what are thought to be self-custodial bitcoin wallets since the nationwide protests began. According to the report, reasons for the increased interest in self-custodial bitcoin include the collapse in value in the Iranian rial and the potential increased need for citizens to operate outside of government-controlled financial channels.
The report also indicates spikes in Iranian crypto activity were seen during other major domestic and geopolitical events such as the Kerman bombings in January 2024, Iran’s missile strikes against Israel in October 2024, and the 12-day war. Nobitex, which is by far Iran’s largest and most popular exchange, was also hacked for $90 million during the 12-day war.
“This pattern of increased BTC withdrawals during times of heightened instability reflects a global trend we’ve observed in other regions experiencing war, economic turmoil, or government crackdowns,” says the report.
Unrest has persisted in Iran since late December, as protesters are fed up with the devaluation of the Iranian rial and other economic hardships. These grievances are compounded by longer-term issues such as corruption, repression, and general government mismanagement. In this way, the use of Bitcoin itself can also be seen as a form of protest where people are simply opting out of the traditional financial system.
Ironically, the Iranian regime has also been found to have used crypto for avoiding sanctions and laundering funds. In fact, the same Chainalysis report just released also indicates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accounts for roughly half of all crypto activity taking place in Iran, which is estimated at $7.78 billion. A recent report from TRM Labs also indicated two crypto exchanges in the United Kingdom were effectively fronts for the Iranian regime, and another past report from Elliptic shows Iran has been involved in bitcoin mining for purposes of monetizing their energy resources.
This situation illustrates the conundrum for authoritarian regimes around the world when it comes to Bitcoin, as the features that make it useful for the regime to avoid restrictions in the US-controlled global banking system also enable it to be used for the local population to gain greater financial freedom.
This is America, dammit. When political tensions are white hot, and the stakes are just about the highest they can possibly be, it’s time to pause for a little consumerism break.
Or at least that was my response to this incredible photo credited to Pierre Lavie posted online by a photographer named John Abernathy.
Abernathy says on Instagram that it’s him in the photo during Thursday’s protests at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is basing its current high profile operations in Minneapolis. Having been tackled, he claims, by ICE agents backed up by “50 border police,” Abernathy apparently chucked his Leica camera in the direction of another photographer to “make sure it wouldn’t be confiscated.”
On Bluesky, Abernathy provides a slightly more detailed review for camera shoppers, writing that his Leica “landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch.” That’s before he also claims that he was held down, that a tear gas canister went off near his face, and that pepper spray went “directly into the eye.” A photo published by ABC News does appear to show Abernathy face down on the ground with orange-ish liquid visible around his eye.
What should we buy exactly if we want to replicate this incredible tableau? Posters on the Leica subreddit were immediately on the case (although the initial post has already been deleted), noting that it appears to be the all-black version of the Leica M10. Comparable cameras in the U.S. retail for about $4,595.00 if you’re in the market for one that you’d also like to stress test by throwing it onto some rough concrete like Abernathy.
And just how did it handle such abuse without being obliterated? Probably only through the intervention of the journalism gods in all honesty, but according to the Leica website, “Thanks to components machined from solid brass, the high strength of the M-10’s full-metal, magnesium alloy chassis and scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass, is built to effortlessly resist the adversities of everyday life guaranteeing enduring pleasure to the photographers.” So there’s also that.
For what it’s worth, ICE has complained on X that “anti-ICE agitators” at the event “threw objects.” ICE’s post doesn’t mention expensive cameras being among the objects. ICE claims they also “shouted profanities, and endangered the public by pouring water on the roads to create icy, hazardous conditions.”
Yesterday, law enforcement at Whipple Federal Building faced violent anti-ICE agitators who threw objects, shouted profanities, and endangered the public by pouring water on the roads to create icy, hazardous conditions.
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) January 16, 2026
Leica cameras are priced at absolutely breathtaking levels, and often come with unique features that appeal to serious photographers. As my one-time colleague Lucas Ropek noted in 2023, a step up from the M10 is the $9,500 M11, designed with digital authenticity tools specifically for combating AI misinformation.
Leica ownership is also the best way to access the Leica subculture, where some pretty amazing discourse takes place. “Oof. Not sure I’d bring my M body there for that,” notes one Lieca enthusiast on the Leica subreddit, adding, “Not because of danger to the camera, but because I prefer something like a 24-105 with autofocus in that environment.”
In a ruling on Friday, a judge restricted federal officers from detaining or using tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities in Minneapolis, where demonstrations over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown are expected to continue this weekend. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement responding to the preliminary injunction, “D.H.S. is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”ICE’s tactics have faced criticism from Democratic leaders, like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.”What we’re seeing on our streets is unnecessary abuses of force. This is an invasion for the sake of creating chaos by our own federal government,” Frey said on Friday.Both Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are reportedly under investigation. The Justice Department is looking into whether Frey and Walz impeded law enforcement through past public statements, according to the Associated Press. “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said in a social media post on Friday.”A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a separate post, which didn’t explicitly mention the probe. The warning comes as Minneapolis braces for another weekend of demonstrations. Clashes with protesters have escalated following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in a highly contested incident last week. “While peaceful expression is protected, any actions that harm people, destroy property, or jeopardize public safety will not be tolerated,” Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said Friday. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump warned that he could invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Minneapolis in response to protests. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote on social media Thursday.Trump appeared to walk back that threat, at least for now, while speaking to reporters Friday. “I don’t think there is any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I would use it,” Trump said.Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison has said that he would challenge the use of the 19th-century law in court if necessary. He’s already suing to try to stop the recent surge in immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities. DHS says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people as part of its “Metro Surge” operation to date.
In a ruling on Friday, a judge restricted federal officers from detaining or using tear gas against peaceful protesters who are not obstructing authorities in Minneapolis, where demonstrations over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown are expected to continue this weekend.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement responding to the preliminary injunction, “D.H.S. is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”
ICE’s tactics have faced criticism from Democratic leaders, like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
“What we’re seeing on our streets is unnecessary abuses of force. This is an invasion for the sake of creating chaos by our own federal government,” Frey said on Friday.
Both Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are reportedly under investigation. The Justice Department is looking into whether Frey and Walz impeded law enforcement through past public statements, according to the Associated Press.
“Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic,” Walz said in a social media post on Friday.
“A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a separate post, which didn’t explicitly mention the probe.
The warning comes as Minneapolis braces for another weekend of demonstrations. Clashes with protesters have escalated following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in a highly contested incident last week.
“While peaceful expression is protected, any actions that harm people, destroy property, or jeopardize public safety will not be tolerated,” Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said Friday.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump warned that he could invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Minneapolis in response to protests.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote on social media Thursday.
Trump appeared to walk back that threat, at least for now, while speaking to reporters Friday.
“I don’t think there is any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I would use it,” Trump said.
Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison has said that he would challenge the use of the 19th-century law in court if necessary. He’s already suing to try to stop the recent surge in immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities. DHS says officers have arrested more than 2,500 people as part of its “Metro Surge” operation to date.
The President and his advisers have called those opposing them in Minnesota radical lunatics, domestic terrorists, and outright insurrectionists. Do they expect us to have already forgotten that, on Trump’s first day back in the White House, he pardoned more than a thousand actual insurrectionists who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on his behalf, in a vain effort to block his 2020 electoral defeat? On Tuesday, barely an hour after urging demonstrators in Tehran to “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!,” Trump issued a call for retribution against the “anarchists and professional agitators” protesting him in Minnesota. By Wednesday, he’d walked back his pledge of assistance to the protesters in Iran. “Help is on its way,” he’d said. But it wasn’t. The violent confrontation that Trump craves most is the war at home, against the enemy within.
It’s not his only goal, though. Trump himself has told us another: “RETRIBUTION.” I know it doesn’t make any sense; it’s hard to see why the President would bear a grudge against an entire state. But grievances drive Trump, and he has one against Minnesota. “I feel that I won Minnesota. I think I won it all three times,” he said last week. “I won it all three times, in my opinion, and it’s a corrupt state—a corrupt voting state.” The fact that these claims are ridiculous—Trump never even won as much as a full forty-seven per cent of the vote there, in any of the three Presidential elections in which he ran—does not make this any less of a grave threat. Is the President capable of exacting revenge over a lie? Of course he is.
Late last year, Reuters documented at least four hundred and seventy targets of retribution whom Trump has singled out since returning to office. Nearly a hundred prosecutors and F.B.I. agents have been fired or forced out for working on cases against Trump or his allies, or because they were alleged to be too woke. Roughly fifty people, businesses, or other entities have been threatened with investigations or penalties for opposing Trump. The White House itself has directly issued at least thirty-six orders, decrees, and directives targeting at least a hundred specific individuals and entities with punitive actions. More than a hundred security clearances have been revoked from those on his enemies list. And all that was only by the end of November.
A year ago, there were still those who believed—or at least hoped—that Trump’s explicitly stated vow of a second-term Presidency focussed on revenge and retribution was just more bluster. How wrong they were.
In a speech on Wednesday night, Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, argued that what is happening in his state right now is “a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.” The state has sued to stop it, but a federal judge has not yet granted an injunction, and legal experts are skeptical that the case will succeed. In the meantime, Walz described a situation that is both dystopian and almost without modern precedent:
Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live. They’re pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens, and demanding to see their papers. And at grocery stores, at bus stops, even at schools, they’re breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street, just plain grabbing Minnesotans and shoving them into unmarked vans, kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.
Listening to this tragic accounting, I found it hard not to think of all the dark fantasies about America that Trump has trafficked in over the years. Next Tuesday will mark one year since he returned to office. Trump may have started out by trash-talking America; now he is simply trashing it. Minnesota is his legacy. It is American carnage made real. ♦
Politically, the regime has rotted from within, discarding, discrediting, or detaining its own kind. Ali Kadivar, a sociologist at Boston College and a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, said that the turning point happened last Thursday, the beginning of the Iranian weekend and the sabbath, when vast crowds joined the protests. “That’s the point where people saw each other,” he told me. (Kadivar’s father, Mohsen, was an outspoken critic who was imprisoned at Evin Prison and now teaches at Duke University. His aunt, Jamileh, was a reformist Member of Parliament who was put on trial for attending a conference in Berlin and banned from running for a second term. She now lives in London.)
The ideology invoked to justify Iran’s revolution has become increasingly untenable since the emergence of accusations of voter fraud in the 2009 election, which put a hard-liner in power, according to Charles Kurzman, a University of North Carolina sociologist and the author of “The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran.” Since then, “people just didn’t buy what a leader was saying anymore, and were looking for a way out,” he said. Iranians have occasionally rallied around reformist candidates, but they, too, have been undermined by hard-line revolutionary purists. “Many Iranians who share the ideals and goals of the reformist movement no longer believe that reform is going to lead to those goals,” Kurzman said.
During an event at the Atlantic Council on Friday, Rob Macaire, a former British Ambassador to Iran, said that the regime in Tehran “does not have the answers to any of the challenges that it’s facing.” The inner circle of power has become “tighter and tighter,” so the government “finds it very difficult to do anything other than to circle the wagons and to double down on a repressive policy.” Guy Burgess, a sociologist who studies conflict and co-founded the blog Beyond Intractability, said that prospects of the Islamic regime collapsing have increased. “These are the sort of things that happen when, all of a sudden, people decide that the brutal force that kept the regime in power can be overcome.”
But the Islamic Republic still has the forces—in the hundreds of thousands—to repress the current uprising. And it has been ruthless. Videos circulating online from one medical center showed a computer screen displaying digital images of the deceased in its morgue for families to identify. Other videos published on social media have shown the dead zipped up in black body bags, laid outdoors for families to claim. The BBC quoted Iranian medical staff who described people blinded by pellets, a tactic used by Egyptian security forces during the Arab Spring, in 2011.
In the days, weeks, and months ahead, much will depend on sentiment within these security forces. In June of last year, Israel and the U.S. destroyed military installations and nuclear sites in Iran and killed key leaders and scientists, leaving the Iranian military feeling vulnerable. In addition, the rank and file share the same (increasingly existential) economic challenges faced by most Iranians. While the security forces are often lumped into an ideological monolith, there is a wide diversity among their members, as nearly all men are required to serve. Some opt to join the Revolutionary Guard because they get off earlier in the day than conventional soldiers, and thus can earn money at a second job. For others, having the I.R.G.C. on their résumés helps them later when applying for jobs in government or at government-funded universities.
O’Donnell noted that a critical juncture in the fall of the Berlin Wall was when upper-level officials in East Germany were no longer assured that the Soviet Union had their backs. Mid-level officials, in turn, were no longer convinced that their superiors would protect them. “So then they started to ask questions whether they should fire on crowds or not and think to themselves, ‘I’m certainly not going to put my neck out if no one’s going to cover me,’ ” she said. Ultimately, the erosion of morale at mid-level positions was what ended Communist rule in East Germany. “It was very unexpected.” Burgess added, “Once you get to the point where some of the regime’s forces decide that they’d be better off siding with the uprising, then the regime collapses quickly, and you find guys like [the former Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad suddenly finding new housing in Russia.”
Mobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.Video above: Donald Trump says Iran wants to negotiate with the U.S. after his threat to strike the countryIranians said text messaging appeared to remain down, and witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world.Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protesters that activists said had killed at least 646 people.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing,” Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.Video below: Scenes from the Los Angeles protest in support of the Iranian people“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
DUBAI, Dubai —
Mobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.
Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.
Video above: Donald Trump says Iran wants to negotiate with the U.S. after his threat to strike the country
Iranians said text messaging appeared to remain down, and witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world.
Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protesters that activists said had killed at least 646 people.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing,” Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.
Video below: Scenes from the Los Angeles protest in support of the Iranian people
“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
Mobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.Video above: Donald Trump says Iran wants to negotiate with the U.S. after his threat to strike the countryIranians said text messaging appeared to remain down, and witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world.Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protesters that activists said had killed at least 646 people.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing,” Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.Video below: Scenes from the Los Angeles protest in support of the Iranian people“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
DUBAI, Dubai —
Mobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut.
Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.
Video above: Donald Trump says Iran wants to negotiate with the U.S. after his threat to strike the country
Iranians said text messaging appeared to remain down, and witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world.
Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protesters that activists said had killed at least 646 people.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing,” Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.
Video below: Scenes from the Los Angeles protest in support of the Iranian people
“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that Iranian leaders have reached out to negotiate as protests challenging Iran’s theocracy continue.On Sunday, Trump told reporters that a meeting with Iran is being arranged after the country called to negotiate. “We may meet with them. I mean, a meeting is being set up. But we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump said.Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday the situation is now under total control following a crackdown on nationwide protests. He also alleged that the protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene, though he provided no evidence for this claim.At least two major outlets reported that Trump has been presented with military options for a strike on Iran but has not made a final decision. Iran’s parliament speaker stated that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America launches a strike.The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 572 people have been killed in Iran, including at least 496 protesters.Around the world, people have been rallying in support of protests in Iran. In Los Angeles, a driver of a U-Haul truck sped through an anti-Iran demonstration on Sunday. Police say one person was hit by the truck, but nobody was seriously injured. The driver of the truck has not been identified, but officials said they were being detained “pending further investigation.”Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that Iranian leaders have reached out to negotiate as protests challenging Iran’s theocracy continue.
On Sunday, Trump told reporters that a meeting with Iran is being arranged after the country called to negotiate.
“We may meet with them. I mean, a meeting is being set up. But we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump said.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday the situation is now under total control following a crackdown on nationwide protests. He also alleged that the protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene, though he provided no evidence for this claim.
At least two major outlets reported that Trump has been presented with military options for a strike on Iran but has not made a final decision. Iran’s parliament speaker stated that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America launches a strike.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 572 people have been killed in Iran, including at least 496 protesters.
Around the world, people have been rallying in support of protests in Iran.
In Los Angeles, a driver of a U-Haul truck sped through an anti-Iran demonstration on Sunday. Police say one person was hit by the truck, but nobody was seriously injured.
The driver of the truck has not been identified, but officials said they were being detained “pending further investigation.”
Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:
On November 6, 1978, while riots raged throughout Tehran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, addressed the nation in a rhetoric of conciliation. “I have heard the voice of your revolution,” he said. The Shah promised to correct the regime’s mistakes, liberate political prisoners, call parliamentary elections, investigate the corruption in his midst, and ease the crackdown on dissent against a nationwide opposition.
But, as had happened so often in the history of brittle regimes, the dictator’s gesture of conciliation was read as desperation. In a village outside Paris, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini consistently attacked the Shah with derision. The “despotic regime of the Shah” was weak, he had said earlier, and was “drawing its last breaths.” And now, despite the Shah’s speech in Tehran, there could be no compromise.
Two months later, the Shah, suffering from cancer, fled Iran and commenced the indignity of travelling from one country to the next, looking for an acceptable place of exile. He died in July, 1980, in Cairo.
The current leader of the Islamic regime, Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is eighty-six. He is one of the longest-reigning dictators on the planet. He is keenly aware of the story of the decline and fall of the old regime. And now, with the Islamic Republic facing dramatic demonstrations in dozens of cities across Iran, Khamenei is faced with a dilemma not unlike the Shah’s. With the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other instruments of force as his bludgeon, Khamenei has chosen bloodshed over conciliation. The regime’s attempt to shut down the internet and other means of communication has dramatically slowed reporting, yet human-rights groups say that Iranian authorities have already killed as many as two hundred demonstrators.
“Unfortunately, if the Ayatollah is taking any lesson from the Shah, it’s that the Shah was weak and caved,” Scott Anderson, the author of “King of Kings,” a history of the revolution published last year, told me. “Brutally speaking, if the Shah had been tougher and had instructed his soldiers to indiscriminately kill people in the streets, he might have been saved. The question now is will the average soldier on the street shed more and more blood. How far will they go?”
The leaders of the regime, various experts told me, derived dark instruction not only from their historical enemy, the Shah, but from subsequent history. In the late nineteen-eighties, the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, tried to modernize his regime by democratizing the political system, ending censorship, easing the Cold War with the United States, and introducing market mechanisms into the economy. His conclusion was that “we cannot live this way any longer”; a regime guided by Communist ideology and confrontation had left the Soviet Union in a state of generalized poverty, isolation, and confrontation. And yet, although many conditions improved through Gorbachev’s liberal policies, he also risked the existence of a fragile system. Finally, he could not control the forces he had unleashed, and, by the end of 1991, the Soviet Union had collapsed and Gorbachev was forced from office.
Khamenei came to power in 1989, at the peak of “Gorbymania.” The spectacle of the fall of the Soviet Union led him and the Iranian regime to grow more suspicious of the West and of any sign of internal reform. “I have now reached the conclusion that the United States has devised a comprehensive plan to subvert the system of the Islamic Republic,” Khamenei said in a speech to government officials, in July, 2000. “This plan is an imitation of the one that led to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. U.S. officials intend to carry out the same in Iran, and there are plentiful clues [evidencing this] in their selfish, often hasty remarks made during the past few years.”
Protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown erupted across the United States this weekend, including outside the White House, following two recent shootings involving immigration officers.A border officer wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. In a separate event on Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, where thousands marched on Saturday. Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful after several protesters were arrested on Friday. The Trump administration insists that federal officers acted in self-defense in both shootings. The Department of Homeland Security is not backing down from what it has called its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The agency highlighted the arrest of “criminal illegal aliens” in social media posts on Saturday. Meanwhile, the administration faces pushback from Democrats and certain Republicans on Capitol Hill. Critics are calling for a full, objective investigation into the Minneapolis shooting after state officials were left out of the probe.Some Democrats are calling to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, while others want to restrict funding for her department and add further restrictions on federal agents.Cellphone video below from the ICE agent who shot Renee Good shows the moments before and during the shooting. Viewer discretion is advised.
WASHINGTON —
Protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown erupted across the United States this weekend, including outside the White House, following two recent shootings involving immigration officers.
A border officer wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. In a separate event on Wednesday, an ICE agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, where thousands marched on Saturday.
Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful after several protesters were arrested on Friday.
The Trump administration insists that federal officers acted in self-defense in both shootings.
The Department of Homeland Security is not backing down from what it has called its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The agency highlighted the arrest of “criminal illegal aliens” in social media posts on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the administration faces pushback from Democrats and certain Republicans on Capitol Hill. Critics are calling for a full, objective investigation into the Minneapolis shooting after state officials were left out of the probe.
Some Democrats are calling to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, while others want to restrict funding for her department and add further restrictions on federal agents.
Cellphone video below from the ICE agent who shot Renee Good shows the moments before and during the shooting. Viewer discretion is advised.
No, not at all. And this is a huge blow to the regime because in Mashhad you see security forces in all corners of the city. Khamenei often gives speeches there laying out his plans for the next year. This is the last place that they would have imagined such a large-scale protest.
The slogans are really important. In the last round of protests, in the previous round, the main slogan was “Woman, Life, Freedom.” It was coming from grassroots collectives of Kurdish women. Now we are hearing slogans about “death to the dictator,” which target the core of the regime. We have also never had such large-scale strikes. Strikes are something that had an important role in toppling the Pahlavi regime in 1979. And, in the previous round of protests, we saw that the Kurdish areas were very active in the strikes. Some activists were shouting that the rest of the country, including Tehran, should join their strikes, but it didn’t happen.
This time, though, the unrest started in Ala’addin Bazaar—a well-known shopping center in Tehran, which primarily sells mobile phones and digital equipment—and it quickly spread to Tehran’s Grand Bazaar. The merchants in Ala’addin Bazaar are considered conservative, religiously speaking. They’ve never protested in the past. And this is a place for electronic equipment, mobile phones, computers—this is something about trading and being able to import and so forth. So it started in the heart of the capital, then it spread to other areas of Iran, and then seven major Kurdish parties basically came together and announced that they were joining the strike.
You mentioned the Twelve-Day War with Israel. It was significant the degree to which Iran was humiliated by first Israel and then the United States, and the degree of military power that Israel seems to have displayed over Iran. I would imagine that just from a sheer nationalist perspective, anyone watching their own country get embarrassed like that would be outraged at the regime, too.
I think we have to be very careful in addressing this question because I think there was a lot of misinterpretation in terms of how Iranians responded to the war. Iranians were obviously against the Israeli actions. The majority were enraged about this, but at the same time we have to be careful—when they’re enraged about an assault on Iranian soil, it’s not about defending the regime. This is about the population that is stuck between a murderous criminal mafia that has taken over the country and, on the other hand, Israel and the United States, who follow their own interests. So they’re not defending the regime by condemning Israel.
Humiliation is something that we have to take into account. Many military commanders were killed. I think one of the things that people realized is that this regime is not even able to protect its own high-ranking officials. If they cannot protect their own officials and military bases, how are they going to protect the nation? How are they going to protect their own people? The leader of the country was hiding for twelve days. People were essentially left on their own to figure out how to defend themselves. People could not leave certain cities. They were blocked inside their cities without having any shelter to run into.
So I think the war led to this complete lack of trust in the ability of the government to protect the nation, in the case of an invasion, under a regime that has been basically attacking Israel, attacking America, and isolating the whole nation in the name of national integrity. I’ve been hearing repeatedly, especially after the U.S. strikes and during the war, that people believe the nuclear program has caused more economic devastation and minor international isolation than any success it might have brought. The immense costs associated with the program have only worsened the economic situation, leading to a more stifling environment. Unlike the regime, the people do not view this as a national interest and are instead in favor of negotiating a deal with the U.S. to lift the sanctions. There have been negotiations and discussions within the government regarding this issue, but Khamenei does not seem willing to back down.
What about Iran’s regional standing, which has weakened in the past couple of years after the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad fell and was replaced by a Sunni government, and after Hezbollah, the Iranian ally in Lebanon, was weakened by Israel? Is there some sense among the population that Iran’s regional position is weaker? Have you seen that fact manifesting itself in the way people within Iran are talking about politics and protest?
I think it is part of that humiliation that we’ve been discussing, and I think a major aspect of it was all these empty gestures and speeches by Khamenei. He was always talking about the “axis of resistance” and the defenders of Haram, which is how he referred to the soldiers that he was sending to Syria to help the Assad regime. All of this is gone and all of it was gone in such a short period of time. And I think Khamenei did not really expect this level of assault and this level of loss on a regional level. On the other hand, I think what’s really important is to take into account the Iranian people’s grievances over this matter.
One of the things that I hear a lot from people who are not even political, like just ordinary citizens, is that we are starving to death, so why is our money being sent to Hezbollah or to Hamas, for example. This financial support has been, by the way, openly announced. It’s not a secret. They’re sending money and they’re very open about it. They’re bluntly talking about financing the “axis of resistance” and not only financing it but also creating it—they were the ones who created it. And there has been mass dissatisfaction among the people who consider it a form of betrayal, putting them in a very precarious and fragile situation security-wise by exposing them to war and to invasion and to starvation and to sanctions.
I also think something that we need to think about and to take into account is that Iran has been the sole major regional ally of Palestine. Since the beginning of the revolution, pro-Palestine rhetoric has been one of the pillars of the Islamic Republic’s identity, with talk that we are going to conquer Jerusalem, we are going to free Palestine. Ayatollah Khomeini used to say that the path to Jerusalem goes through Karbala. And that was the slogan for the Iran-Iraq War—this sort of expansionist idea of, O.K., we want to go to free Palestine and free Jerusalem. And I think what happened in Gaza over the past two years, as horrific as it was, and there is no doubt that it was a genocide—it weakened the position of the Islamic Republic, although the world and particularly some post-colonial sorts don’t want to accept that. And they’re keeping silent at this moment because they think that by weakening the Iranian regime, the situation in Palestine will get worse. But with what happened in Gaza I think the Islamic Republic proved that they can do nothing but create even more chaos in the region.
Rallies began Saturday morning in Los Gatos and Mountain View, with more planned later into the day in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, San Jose, Richmond and San Francisco. Many were organized by a coalition of groups including May Day Strong, Indivisible and others.
Robin Dosskey, of Mountain View, waves at motorist while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
In a statement, May Day Strong called for unity against U.S. occupation of Venezuela and the removal of “reckless untrained ICE agents from our communities.” They argued overseas wars and increased immigration enforcement enriched billionaires at a human cost, and that tax money should be used for “good jobs, better schools, access to health care and (getting) our basic needs met.”
At Los Gatos, David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” blared to over 100 people as passing cars honked in support of the demonstration.
George Hoffman, a 49-year-old Los Gatos resident, said he’s been protesting regularly at the town’s Tesla dealership since April 2025, in an effort to push back against Elon Musk’s support of Trump.
Hoffman said he started attending protests because he was tired of keeping quiet on the Trump administration’s actions and “feeling like everything was broken.”
“It was killing me,” he said. “I was in a hole of despair and loneliness.”
One week ago, a U.S. strike in Venezuela killed about 80 people and ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who are now in New York City awaiting trial on federal drug charges. Trump and others in his administration have said the U.S. would “run” the country, taking millions of barrels of oil with the blessing of the South American nation’s acting leadership.
Lynda Turkus, of Mountain View, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Susanne Rondeau, of Sunnyvale, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Susanne Rondeau, of Sunnyvale, shakes a cowbell and waves a US flag while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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Lynda Turkus, of Mountain View, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Many within the U.S. and internationally criticized the attack as a flagrant violation of international law that ignores Venezuela’s sovereignty. However, Venezuelan expatriates in Florida and elsewhere were supportive of Maduro’s removal after years of reported human rights violations and economic troubles in the country.
In Mountain View, a couple dozen people went to a Chevron gas station to protest. Cindy Ferguson, a 73-year-old Mountain View resident, has been going to several demonstrations, including the No Kings protests in June. She specifically wanted everyone to rally around Chevron due to the president’s actions in Venezuela to gain control of their oil reserves. Ferguson was formerly in the Army between 1973 and 1976. She criticized the similarities she saw between the U.S.’s intervention in Iraq and Iran and the attacks in Venezuela, saying “none of it worked, then or now.”
“They stand to profit really big, so he’s just paying off his billionaire buddies, and all the money and spending is for that,” Ferguson said. “Why aren’t we feeding kids? Why aren’t we giving health care? We could do a lot with that money, too. Let’s care for everyone.”
On Wednesday, a Minnesota woman named Renee Good was fatally shot by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, a killing caught on video that quickly sparked outrage and, from the Trump administration, unsupported claims that Good was a “domestic terrorist.” A day later, two people were wounded in Portland, Oregon, when federal immigration officers shot them in their car outside of a hospital. Both of the shootings inspired vigils and demonstrations against crackdowns authorized by Trump.
Many people that were protesting in the South Bay were enraged over the Good’s death. John Elliott, a 77-year-old Los Gatos resident, said that he had seen the video footage of Good’s shooting and thought it was “striking” that there were people who could justify it. Similarly, 20-year-old Campbell resident Michael Zambon felt that Good’s death was an extrajudicial killing.
“This is really not just about the murder of Renee Nicole Good. It’s also about the rule of law,” Zambon said. “This is a regime of lawlessness. And I believe we need to push back as best we can in order to ensure that the rule of law can endure in the consciousness of the country.”
Lisa Guevara, a 58-year-old resident of Menlo Park, is affiliated with Showing Up for Racial Justice, an organization to help white people organize against racial discrimination. Guevara connected the ICE-involved shootings with the attack on Venezuela as examples of Trump’s government trying to convince Americans that they have a right to enter Venezuela or American cities to strong-arm them.
“I think all of it is connected; It’s all this fascist, patriarchal, white supremacy situation,” Guevara said. “It’s this idea of being able to to determine other people’s lives for them, whether it’s in foreign countries or whether it’s in our own neighborhoods.”
Hoffman said Good’s death was another example of the Trump administration lying to people about what has been happening in the nation.
“We need to stop seeing this as a single issue,” Hoffman said. “It’s all the same fight.”
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.
