Over the last few weeks, Minneapolis has been ground zero of the larger national battle over immigration enforcement. The Trump administration deployed a swarm of officers to the city from both relevant federal agencies—Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP or “Border Patrol”).
Their sweeps of the city resulted in two deaths and triggered a ferocious response. Minneapolis was already a “sanctuary city,” but Mayor Jacob Frey upped the ante when he demanded that ICE “Get the f- out of Minneapolis.”
Here at Independent Institute, our goal is to bring clarity to moments like these—examining the legal, political, and human questions beneath the headlines through serious analysis and debate with a civil tone.
In the latest episode of Independent Conversations, we examine the Minneapolis maelstrom, which raises urgent questions about constitutional authority, public safety, and civil liberties:
What made Minneapolis more of a crucible than other cities?
Do anti-ICE protestors have a right to carry arms into the turmoil?
Does the State of Minnesota have a right to resist federal agents?
Can the powder keg be defused?
