Dr. Yohuru Williams, professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas, was quoted by The National in coverage examining escalating tensions following the fatal shooting of a Minnesota woman during an ICE operation. Williams said the administration’s immigration actions reflect a strategy of inflicting harm on targeted communities, arguing that the use of force in the incident was unjustified and that residents have reason to fear a lack of accountability as federal enforcement activity intensifies across the state.
From the article:
For Minneapolis residents, the sight of federal immigration enforcement agents roaming through neighborhoods and near their children's schools has become increasingly common.
Many have seen friends, colleagues and neighbours taken away – sometimes in broad daylight – by masked agents in unmarked vehicles. ...
Dr Yohuru Williams, a history professor and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative in Minneapolis, said ICE actions were part of a deliberate effort by the administration to inflict “maximum cruelty on certain communities".
“Innocent lives are treated as collateral damage,” Dr Williams told The National. “After reviewing the video multiple times, it does not appear to me that the ICE agent’s use of force was justified.”
Mr Trump has made battling illegal immigration a major focus of his second term, posting cadres of federal agents to big cities across the country. Residents of many cities have taken to the streets to protest against it and film agents as they look for migrants.
