Read our editorial on mass deportations here, and the ongoing struggle against it here.
On December 3, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began an operation targeting Somali immigrants in Minnesota following ultra-reactionary President Trump’s orders.
Prior to the operation, Trump repeatedly called Somalians in the US “garbage”, saying, “We don’t want ‘em in our country.” Minnesota is home to a Somali community of around 80,000, with many living in the Twin Cities area. The vast majority of them are legal citizens, and over half were born in the U.S.
On the day the operation began, the masses were already in protest, with over a hundred people rallying in below-freezing weather at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to oppose deportation flights that have been taking place for years. On December 9, Burnsville High School students staged a walkout. Elsewhere, a rapid response team quickly mobilized and foiled an ICE raid after activists called attention to the raid with whistles and blocked ICE vehicles. The masses stood their ground despite federal agents attacking them with pepper spray.
In response to the operation, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that “we stand with… the Somali community,” opportunistically seeking to rally the people’s righteous fury against ICE into support for the Democrat mafia while doing nothing materially to oppose mass deportations. Frey is notorious for repressing the George Floyd protests, which originated in that very city in 2020 with both brutal military force and “soft” counter-insurgency.
On the same day, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiated “Operation Catahoula Crunch” in New Orleans, named after a parish in the state.
As in other campaigns, DHS officials are fabricating a narrative about cities overrun with crime by immigrants to justify their attacks on the working class.
One activist described the operation as a “siege,” sharing a video with monopoly media of a man in New Orleans being arrested by ICE despite announcing his valid citizenship status. A 22-year-old, U.S.-born mother was also reportedly chased by ICE, though she was not detained.
At a city council meeting on December 4, activists confronted local politicians and demanded “no collaboration with ICE / DHS.”
The operations in Minnesota and New Orleans do not have prescribed end dates. Some ICE campaigns, such as “Operation Midway Blitz,” have lasted several months, with others being short incursions for a few days. WhereverICE terrorizes the masses, workers and activists close ranks to oppose it.
Photo: Saint Paul, MN residents block DHS vehicles in November 2025. Credit: @KimKatieUSA on X.
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