After an associate professor at the University of Minnesota conducted what has been dubbed an “ICE drill,” one student has come forward to question who really needs to learn a lesson about education and reality.
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The student, who we’ll call “Angela,” asked us not to use her name and conceal her identity as she spoke with Liz Collin on her podcast.
“Originally, I did not want to be anonymous as I personally have no shame in my beliefs. However, I ultimately decided that it was the best option, not only for the safety of myself, but for the safety of my friends and family. It shouldn’t have to be that way,” the student said.
Angela said she enrolled in a class called “Culture, Power, and Education,” which she said is a required class to graduate from the University of Minnesota with a degree in elementary education.
“Upon first glance the class page is definitely shocking and definitely was not a very good impression and it made me very skeptical, but I continued knowing that it was required to graduate,” she said.
The class page pictures a pyramid with the words “overt white supremacy/socially unacceptable” and “covert white supremacy/socially acceptable” on it.
Angela explained that, “As the class began, it reinforced what the imagery on the class page represented. For example, a lesson that she most recently engaged in was that white people push for action and ideologies that allow for current time to be the same as it was back during the ’60s, so essentially saying 2026 is the same as the 1960s in terms of segregation and racism.”
But Angela said that it was what Associate Professor Blanca Caldas Chumbes referred to as an “ICE drill” that made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Angela explained how Professor Caldas Chumbes “began by putting up an image on the screen of the specific steps that we are supposed to take in the event that ICE were to appear at our classroom door.”
“She then had us stand up and move to the farthest corner away from the door and began by acting out her own role during a specific scenario, which is to talk to the agent and attempt to gain more information,” Angela explained further.
“Then, she came back to us in the back corner and told us … that we are to use our own bodies to cover up and shield specific individuals within our classroom that appear to be targets, and then finally she ended the drill by having us look around our peers and our fellow students within the classroom and identify specifically the people that would appear to be the targets,” the student, Angela, said.
“I immediately knew that it was very wrong essentially because she was saying that because I am white, because I am a white student, that I essentially need to act as a human shield and interfere with federal agents. As a future educator, I would never ever instruct my own students to put their own safety on the line,” she added.
Angela also explained that “the class was very quiet and essentially went along with what she was telling us to do, so similar to me, many others were uncomfortable.”
Angela told her parents about what happened and they reached out to the Dean’s office to report the lesson that day.
“We actually received an answer from them stating that they were able to speak with my professor in which she actually denied ever encouraging ICE interference within our classroom. We were also informed that this would be addressed in the next class meeting but unfortunately, this was never addressed,” Angela said.
Alpha News also reached out to the University of Minnesota and to Professor Caldas Chumbes for comment.
In a statement, a spokesperson from the U of M told Alpha News it is aware of the situation and is conducting a thorough review.
In looking toward her future as an educator, Angela said, “I also want to advocate for change within classrooms as such hateful and negative opinions and actions such as these ICE drills should not be carried out in the classroom. There is absolutely no place for it.”
“I know there are a lot of other students across campus that have the same views as me and understand that actions like this within the classroom are absolutely not OK, so I hope that by voicing my own experience this will help others be more comfortable voicing their own views,” she added.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Dr. JC Chaix
Dr. JC Chaix is an editor, educator, and an expert in media studies. He wrote and directed the Alpha News documentary "The Fall of Minneapolis" and "Minnesota v We the People."
