Immigrant rights advocate: ICE observers should continue work despite dangers
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Federal agents have made more than 2,000 arrests in Minnesota as a surge in immigration operations in the state continues. As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents make rounds, Minnesotans dedicated to being watchful eyes are following and recording.
Erika Zurawski is the co-founder of Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and she has a message for observers in the aftermath of the killing of Renee Macklin Good by a federal agent: “Stay in the streets,” she said. “Stay out there to make sure that federal agents know that we are not afraid of them. What we need now is we need people power.”
Zurawski joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to provide an update on her list of “Dos and Don'ts” for those monitoring ICE and Border Patrol actions.
The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player button above.
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In our first conversation, you said following every car with tinted windows was not a good idea. Given Renee Good’s shooting, is your group recommending keeping a safe distance from agents?
People may be surprised to hear that our advice actually doesn't change. In this moment, we are living a lot of hostility and violence by federal agents, and honestly, everything that we told observers to do is legal.
When we talked about not following every tinted car, it's because people continue to follow vehicles that were just community members. If you are following an ICE vehicle, the thing that we ask is you need to know before you follow a vehicle that they are, in fact, a vehicle being used by ICE or CBP.
You say that what the observers are doing legal, but, I’m wondering, is it safe?
When we first talked, Cathy, we actually talked a little bit about the dangers and the history of police violence. I want to take this interview, and I want to take this opportunity for people to really reflect on that: Our neighborhoods have never been safe for Black and brown people.
I understand that observers are taking on this role with the understanding that it is not always a safe role to take on. That feeling of “that could be me” is every single Black man that has ever been pulled over by the police in the history of this country. That feeling of “that could be me” is every single brown person that walks out of their house thinking that they could be abducted and taken by ICE.
The safety of Black and brown bodies in our communities has always been in question. What I want to resonate with our observers out there that continue to take to the streets is: Welcome to that world; understand that you are in a world that has always been unsafe.
What I need observers to know, and what I need them to do, is to stay in the streets, to stay out there, to make sure that federal agents know that we are not afraid of them. What we need now is people power. We need bodies. We need people who are willing to fight until we win justice for all of us.
How do you keep protesters safe? How do you de-escalate some of this? Or is that not up to protesters?
It’s not up to protesters to de-escalate these situations. They should never be escalated in the first place.
We cannot tell people that, “Hey, if you record on your phone, you’re escalating,” because you’re not. That’s just false. The federal agents are the only ones escalating.
When you are in one-on-one encounters is when you have to be very cautious of your body. Don’t make sudden movements. Be sure to narrate every move that you plan to do if you want to adjust your position at every moment.
The more that we can try to keep our body safe and be aware of our bodily movements, the safer we can be. But we are doing nothing that is illegal and nothing that is wrong.
There was at least one ICE agent who tried to reach into someone’s car in St. Louis Park to take her phone. What do you tell protesters about that?
If you are able to do that face scan or that fingerprint scan that opens your phone, you need to remove that immediately.
You need to make sure that your phone is locked all of the time with a password. Passwords are protected and you do not have to give your password, but your phone can be opened, legally, using your fingerprint or using your face scan.
Obviously, they don’t have a right to take your phone, so, don’t let them and don’t give it to them.
What you need to do is have your finger at the ready on that power button, so if you feel like you are going to lose control of your phone, you instantly need to make sure that you get that phone turned off.
