Call a Wolf a Wolf

What the federal government and ICE is doing in Minneapolis and Minnesota is wrong. Politically, legally, ethically, morally wrong. We need to say this clearly. 

I've learned a lot in the years since my early twenties, when so many political realities were black and white, and faith mostly fit in party lines. I've grown to see the world is so much more complex and nuanced than I ever imagined, as are the people that live in it. I realize that religion should make few definitive fiats regarding political positions, or specific policy endorsements. 

Sometimes, however, politics crosses a line, and the church needs to speak with moral clarity. To me, in the middle of a violent, racist, and unnecessary "Operation Metro Surge" now is a time for moral, clear speech. While there are always levels of moral certainly, these are some of the actions I find clearly wrong and troubling: 

• Racism is wrong. This shouldn't be controversial in 2026. And yet there has been clear and persistent racism leading up to the ICE surge in Minneapolis. It is hard to see how the underlying motivation for this operation could be anything beyond racism and political revenge. The federal government is gaslighting the country claiming that there are thousands of dangerous criminals roving our streets. 
• The way ICE enforcement has been caried out has been explicitly racist: agents have been pulling over, harassing, and kidnapping people based on the color of their skin. This is wrong. How could actions be more "targeted" with thousands of agents roving the streets. Are Hispanic skin color and Somali facial structure the Minnesota equivalent of wearing the Jewish star? Is there any way this can be called just? 
• Children should be the benefactors, not the casualties, of "law and order." The way children have been treated during the ICE surge in Minnesota is wrong. Donald Trump has shown that he is fine with children being collateral damage in his quest for political points during his "family separation" program. From multiple accounts and stories, it appears that the Minnesota ICE enforcement is operating with careless neglect and cruelty towards minors. This is disturbing. 
• Targeted law enforcement operations should not be conducted at churches and schools. I've never seen "law enforcement" run like this in my life. This seems to me another example of callously ignoring the impact of the law on the lives of children and our vulnerable. 
• Power without any accountability can't be just. Our state and city have labored since 2020 to become more transparent, equitable, just, and compassionate in law enforcement. Officers wear cameras, name badges, drive identifiable vehicles, and spend significant time doing positive work in the community. Contrast this to the federal officers occupying Minnesota:
• Drive unmarked vehicles and sometime aren't even clearly labeled as LEOs. 
• Hide their identity behind masks 
• Hide behind an administration that instantly seeks to do damage control whenever something goes wrong. 
• Aggressively repress peaceful protestors with violence. 
• Whatever the goal of this operation is, it doesn't justify blood and violence pursuant to that end. Armed thugs should not be allowed to kill whoever gets in their way. Vice president Vance's statement that federal officers have complete immunity when on the job is a morally repugnant statement. 
• A dozen officers breaking down a door and charging a house with automatic weapons to arrest a nonviolent criminal is an overreach of power. I didn't think we treated people in America like this. This feels like the way a country ruled by a desperate despot acts. 

This isn't an exhaustive list of things that are troubling me with the current ICE actions. I also am not against immigration enforcement in whole. I'm not an open borders proponent. But what is currently going on in my state and city is wrong. It seems obvious and clear. 

It grieves me that Christians are divided on this, that they are partisan on this issue. If anything, the Bible speaks more clearly on how to treat immigrants and sojourners than the unborn, and yet the messaging is so different. The silence is palpable, the complicity is frustrating, and the cheering is devastating. 

My prayer today is that the church can come together and denounce what is going on as wrong. We don't need to debate immigration policy: we need to agree on what justice and peace look like. I pray that the church can still find a voice and make a difference for peace and justice.