Letters urging resistance to ICE appear in Minneapolis mailboxes as activist networks mobilize

On Monday, these groups ramped up again across the state, with residents appearing to surround ICE agents in coordinated efforts. Some activist groups are publishing lists of hotels where ICE agents are staying.

By
Jenna Gloeb
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A wave of unsolicited “know your rights” letters is landing in Minneapolis mailboxes, instructing residents on how to respond to ICE. (Alpha News)

A wave of unsolicited “know your rights” letters is landing in Minneapolis mailboxes, instructing residents on how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that have ramped up across the city.

The mailings come as immigration enforcement intensifies in Minneapolis, where Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the federal government is sending “hundreds more” ICE officers to the city to support ongoing enforcement efforts.

The increase in agents follows the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer during a federal enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Footage from the incident has drawn intense public debate over how the encounter unfolded and what preceded the gunfire.

As for the letters, they appear to come from the Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, and direct people to activist networks, training events and rapid-response patrols designed to monitor and respond to federal immigration enforcement. The letter urges residents to carry “know-your-rights” cards and warns people not to flee from an ICE officer, stating, “do not run away.”

The letter also urges residents to join neighborhood rapid-response teams — volunteer networks that rush to apparent immigration enforcement scenes armed with bright vests and cellphones.

On Monday, these groups ramped up again across the state, with residents appearing to surround ICE agents in coordinated efforts.

The letter also highlights Monarca, a local nonprofit that trains residents to monitor ICE activity.

Groups listed in the letter include MN ICE Watch and Defend the 612, which organizes block-by-block ICE Watch teams, school “sanctuary” initiatives and rapid-response patrols. Other groups like Sunrise Twin Cities are publishing lists of the hotels where ICE agents are staying.

Online anti-ICE groups
Renee Good, partner, said to be affiliated with MN ICE Watch

According to video first published by Alpha News, Renee Good’s partner — Becca Good — is seen wearing a whistle and holding a cellphone while filming the encounter with the ICE agent.

Renee and Becca were reportedly linked to groups that track and intervene in ICE operations — including MN ICE Watch — according to reporting first published by the New York Post.

MN Ice Watch on Instagram

Video circulating online shows a woman who claimed to have seen the shooting saying the ICE officers “clearly wanted [Good] out of there because she was the main car leading the protest … she was very successful in blocking traffic, she was doing what she set out to do, and so they wanted to get her the hell out of there.”

When asked if Good was impeding ICE vehicles, the witness replied, “Definitely yeah, that was her goal,” according to the same clip.

Since then, newly surfaced footage shows roughly four minutes before the shooting with Good’s maroon SUV parked perpendicular in the street and her horn blaring.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Williamson, chair of Renew Minnesota, posted a thread on X reporting that the group behind Defend the 612 is backed by public taxpayers and a foundation supported by George Soros.

 

 

Jenna Gloeb
Website

Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.

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