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Opinion

Open Thread: Winter Is Coming. Are We Ready for ICE?

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, the readers.

10:27 AM CDT on October 24, 2025

The Bishop Whipple Building

|Wikimedia Commons

These Open Threads are usually just a bit of Friday fun, a chance to yak about some nonsense, get to know one another, and blow off steam.

But the world being what it is this days, sometimes we've got to get serious around here, even on Fridays. And this is one of those times.

As you may have heard, Kristi Noem, who heads up a federal department that should never have been created, is coming to town today to “discuss ICE operations and update on the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities.”

It's not confirmed, but immigrants' rights groups plan to protest at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, where they believe Noem will speak. We can expect a lot of juked stats about crime and fraud, as well as ghoulish half-truths and outright lies about our neighbors.

But can we expect threats of commandeering the Minnesota National Guard, or of bringing in guard members from other states? Will we see increased and more visible ICE operations in the Twin Cities? In short, are we the next Portland/L.A./Chicago?

Am I panicking here? I'm trying not to. But I do want know, do you have any concrete plans of what you'll do if there's a federal invasion of Minneapolis? And also, in such an instance, what sort of reporting/information/analysis do you want from us here at Racket?

As always, feel free to ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your Open Thread, after all.

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