The last few weeks, while ICE has terrorized and even killed residents of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, there’s been one question I get more than any other: What can we do to help right now? People don’t just want to watch the news unfold, see their neighbors get harassed, taken away, or shot, and listen as politicians offer comforting words but no action.
Last week, I had the chance to bring that major question to someone with the power to do something: US Congresswoman Angie Craig, who represents Minnesota’s second district. Her district includes the southern part of the Twin Cities metro area, so a lot of the news we’re seeing in videos is happening right in her area, to her constituents.
This interview took place two days before federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday morning on the street in Minneapolis, in the second instance of federal agents killing a Minnesotan in just three weeks. Congresswoman Craig and I talked about what was happening on the ground in Minneapolis-St. Paul — including the recent report of ICE agents using a five-year-old child as bait to detain his father — and what responsibility Congressional lawmakers bear for confronting it. I pressed Rep. Craig on whether Democrats in Congress are prepared to use their leverage to reign in an increasingly lawless ICE, what actions people can take right now instead of just waiting to vote in November, and more.
Watch the full interview now to see what else we dove into.
Since Pretti’s death, Craig has signed onto a joint statement by Democratic members of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation condemning ICE agents’ actions, calling on Republicans to speak out, and encouraging Minnesotans to continue protesting peacefully. On Twitter, she also urged Senate Democrats to withhold funding for the Department of Homeland Security in an upcoming vote.
