Statement on the Federal Approach to Immigration and the Current Crisis of Democracy

There are moments in history when a country undergoes dramatic change – not with a bang, but with quiet, calculated efforts and the systematic overwriting of core values. This may go unnoticed for some leaders, or perhaps it’s a strategic choice to look the other way. However, I refuse to remain silent – because during these dire times, we must bravely use our collective voice to speak against the overt dismantling of our democratic institutions and constitutional protections. The United States is in an undeniable crisis of democracy.

Democracy is a system designed to guarantee equal rights under the law, to protect against the concentration of power through checks and balances, and to ensure that majority rule never tramples the rights of those who are marginalized. Governance structures such as the separation of powers, due process, and free speech are not optional – they are the guardrails that prevent authoritarianism.

The United States Constitution was established in response to the dangers of unchecked, concentrated power. The purpose was to build a system designed to prevent the rise of a king, to ensure that no single person could rule above the law. Checks and balances were created out of fear: fear of tyranny, fear of autocracy, and fear of repeating history. Yet today, we are watching that very history repeat – an attempt by the President to wield absolute power. 

As Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson warned in her dissent just weeks ago: “It is not difficult to predict how this all ends. Eventually, executive power will become completely uncontainable, and our beloved constitutional Republic will be no more.” On June 27th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. CASA that even unconstitutional executive orders can and will be enforced. The Court decided that federal judges can no longer block harmful government actions for the nation at large – even when those actions are a blatant violation of the Constitution. This ruling guts one of the last remaining checks on executive power. It means that unconstitutional federal policies can remain in place, harming millions, while courts may only protect the narrow set of individuals who have the resources to sue. 

The violence we are witnessing towards immigrants is something we have not yet seen in modern memory of this country: the normalization of federally orchestrated terror, the legal unraveling of fundamental rights, and the dehumanization of entire communities under the guise of policy and a warped definition of safety. 

At the beginning of this year, the White House issued an executive order that attempts to deny birthright citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are not yet citizens, on temporary visas, or undocumented. Birthright citizenship has been a fundamental right in this country for over 150 years. Enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment, it guarantees that any child born on U.S. soil is a citizen – regardless of their parents’ status. This principle was designed to prevent precisely the kind of exclusionary policies we are now witnessing. The attack on birthright citizenship is not a policy shift. It is an attempt to rewrite the very idea of who belongs in the United States of America.

These are not isolated rulings. They are part of a coordinated, deeply strategic assault on civil rights. Just last week, I released a statement on the anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which was another calculated attack on long-held constitutional protections. The pattern is undeniable: this administration is using executive orders to undo the fundamental protections of the Constitution – actions that are not within the authority of the executive branch.

From Federal to Local

As a proud daughter of immigrants, I am appalled at the dehumanization and mistreatment taking place across the country. I have countless family members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues who are citizens because of the Fourteenth Amendment – incredible community leaders, wonderful parents, inspiring artists, engaging teachers, and overall compassionate contributing members of society. Growing up, we talked about deportation around the dinner table, so I have a deep understanding on how many families are living in fear right now. 

In the absence of due process, without warrants or badges, and in plain clothes with face coverings – our taxpayer dollars are being used to violently pull people off sidewalks and into unmarked vans, to separate children from their parents, and no one is safe. Even citizens and children are being attacked and detained. And in an unfathomable ruling, the courts are now permitting people to be deported to countries they’ve never even lived in. 

Let me be clear: what is happening at the federal level is not immigration policy. It is state-sponsored violence, and it is politically motivated, strategic, and rooted in hatred.

I could not state this clearer: this is the intentional destruction of lives, and it is rooted in racism, authoritarianism, and the dehumanization of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. I vehemently oppose any local government badges or funds going toward ICE’s operations. 

Last month, the federal government brought this fear and violence to our doorsteps. On Lake Street in Minneapolis, a place already scarred by the trauma of militarized police and systemic neglect, federal agents raided multiple local businesses – many of which are immigrant-owned. They arrived in tactical gear, brought in armored vehicles, shut down roads, and unleashed terror across the immigrant-heavy community. On the same day, other ICE operations occurred in neighborhoods surrounding Minneapolis, but these responses were far less militarized. It was the community with the most immigrants that faced the most expansive and aggressive law enforcement response. This is not coincidental. It is targeted, and it is dehumanizing. 

As a County Commissioner, it is my job to advocate for those who are marginalized. I have had productive conversations with the Sheriff and her team. We agree that ICE is not welcome in our communities, but we also do not have the ability to keep them out. We discussed how Hennepin personnel can be more proactive and move differently to ensure the safety of residents and ensure open communication and deescalation tactics are used preemptively. We will continue to meet on this topic, and I have requested a full after-action report regarding the use of County personnel, equipment, and weaponry during this operation. Unfortunately, I am deeply disappointed that the Mayor of Minneapolis, the city where I live, disagrees with our residents' approach to ICE and has chosen denial over accountability. 

My Commitment

When reproductive freedom is dismantled, when birthright citizenship is called into question, when the courts lose their power to block tyranny – we are no longer operating within the boundaries of democracy. 

Collectively, we must transform systems of oppression into systems of compassion by bravely and unwaveringly advocating for those who are marginalized and vulnerable. This moment demands clarity, courage, and an absolute rejection of the idea that any of this is normal. 

To our immigrant communities: I will never stop fighting for your safety, your dignity, and your right to belong. 

To every mayor, commissioner or local elected official: If you are not actively cutting local ties with ICE, you are enabling what comes next.

And to those that are standing by and watching this unfold: history will remember who protected people – and who protected unchecked power.