Oppression and resistance: the DHS Diaries
PWS weekly on ICE, Border Patrol, and the brave communities , organizations, and individuals resisting their fascist policies
DHS operations have not “de-escalated”, as Border Czar Tom Homan promised when he took over Border Patrol and ICE operations in Minneapolis just over a week ago.
The tone coming out of the White House may have changed, but day-to-day operations in the city have not.
Crackdowns continue, as do the public “immigration sweeps” favored by Homan’s predecessor Greg Bovino. Residents of Minneapolis, however, continue to resist the operations targeting their neighbors, as well as the agents who have terrorized migrant and non-migrant citizens alike.
DHS personnel have shot 13 people since September of last year. In every case, the department has lied about its victims. Marimar Martinez was branded a “terrorist” after DHS agents shot her 5 times in October. The agency claimed that Ms Martinez tried to target officers with her vehicle. Video of the incident, as well as the testimony of witnesses, dispelled those claims, and she was acquitted of all charges.
Silverio Villegas González was killed by ICE officers during a traffic stop in September. Officers shot the Mexican immigrant to death when he tried to flee a traffic stop. Officers at the time claimed, again, that Mr González targeted them with his vehicle. Their claims, again, were disproven by both video and witness testimony.
The same excuse was used in the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis. The list goes on. But in every case, claims made by DHS in public statements have turned out to be lies.
These are the conditions under which thousands of volunteers in Minnesota take to the streets every day to monitor, protest, research, coordinate responses, or provide support for those targeted by ICE and Border Patrol officers.
Just as DHS operations in the city have not slowed, neither have the efforts of those resisting the masked and violent officers in their neighborhoods. The efforts of volunteers are leaving DHS personnel visibly frustrated.
Some have even taken to wearing disguises, such as dressing as construction or electrical workers, to get around the city and surveil potential detainees.
Creative Resistance
Indigenous organizations in Minnesota staged a protest this week against DHS actions in the state. “Block Parties,” impromptu roadblocks for ICE agents, as we covered last week, continue to multiply, despite warnings against them from local police.
Hundreds of protesters threw dildos at ICE personnel on Friday outside of their staging area. One local resident decided to involve a statue of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata.
The Round-Up
ICE claimed that a migrant in detention fractured his own skull, beating it against a wall. But the detainee, Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, says agents beat him with an iron rod. Mr Mondragón was taken to an emergency room after the beating. He was suffering was multiple brain hemorrhages when he was revised by hospital staff, who reported the case due to his injuries not matching details provided by DHS agents.
Former “Commander at Large” Greg Bovino was thrown out of a Las Vegas bar this week by the establishment’s owners, who feared he “presented a security risk” to their patrons. Bovino was fired from his position as head of DHS field operations, and is being sent back to El Centro, California, to resume his duties on the border. But residents there aren’t thrilled to have him, according to this piece by local media. Residents are calling him a “liar” and a “clearly dishonorable man.”
Approval for ICE as an agency has reached an all-time historic low, according to a poll this week by ABC news. Sixty-three percent of those polled said they disapprove of hos ICE is enforcing US immigration law.
When ICE agents shot two Venezuelans in Portland, they claimed the couple were Tren de Aragua agents. But DHS denied its own public statements in court, according to court documents. Records obtained by the Guardian reveal a Department of Justice prosecutor later directly contradicted DHS’s Tren de Aragua statements in court, telling a judge: “We’re not suggesting … [Niño-Moncada] is a gang member.” An FBI affidavit issued following the incident also suggests that in the previous shooting cited by DHS, Zambrano-Contreras was not a suspect, but rather a reported victim of a sexual assault and robbery. Neither Niño-Moncada or Zambrano-Contreras have prior criminal convictions.
Garrett Graff, a journalist who has covered Border Patrol for more than a decade gave testimony before an Illinois commission on DHS actions this week. What he had to say was troubling. Graff described an agency rife with corruption, a history of violence, and outright criminality. His testimony, published at Mother Jones, is worth reading in full.
Democrats, who just approved a massive budget hike for DHS, and ICE, are having second thoughts about giving the agency even more money. They say they will, however, if some very weak assurances are made. The problem with some of their suggestions, such as mandatory bodycams, is that they may actually make things worse, according to an article this week at Politico.
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Hasta pronto, piratas!
