'Nothing has changed': Minneapolis on edge despite Trump's de-escalation vow
Source: The Guardian
Thu 29 Jan 2026 11.00 EST
First published on Thu 29 Jan 2026 06.00 EST
When the belligerent border patrol official Gregory Bovino finally left the Twin Cities this week, there was hope that the tension in the region would dissipate. But in the wake of the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, residents say they are still dealing with immigration raids and threats to their safety – and fear the shock waves will be felt for a very long time.
In Saint Paul, city council member Molly Coleman is still taking shifts to watch for federal immigration agents at her son’s daycare. “People are really guarding against false optimism,” she said. “I don’t think anybody in Minnesota is under any illusions that we are suddenly safer than we were this time last week – that constitutional observers are safer, that immigrants are safer, that anybody who looks brown or Black on the streets is safer.”
For Elizabeth, a parent in south Minneapolis who asked the Guardian to use only her first name to protect her identity, “nothing has changed” since Bovino’s departure. Her neighborhood Signal group chat, used to flag Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sightings, buzzes constantly. “We’re still seeing the vehicles in the neighborhood,” she said, adding that on Wednesday afternoon she received an alert about increased federal presence at her nearest bus stop.
In the days after the killing of the 37‑year‑old ICU nurse Pretti, signs emerged that the Trump administration understood how quickly anger at federal immigration agents could ignite across Minnesota and the nation.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/29/minneapolis-ice-raids-trump-dispatch
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