FORMER MINNESOTA STATE Sen. Matt Little was lawfully observing federal immigration agents in a Dakota County neighborhood last month when the drive took an unexpected turn.

As he followed their vehicles, they led him down a rural road that grew increasingly familiar during the 20-minute drive. Soon, Little told The Intercept, he realized where the federal agents were headed: his house.

When he approached his driveway, two SUVs were already waiting, Little said. Agents moved to block his car, claiming he had impeded their investigation and that local law enforcement would be called. No other officers came to his house, and Little was not cited or charged.

Interviews, sworn declarations, and video reviewed by The Intercept indicate that Little is not the only person subjected to this kind of intimidation. Across the Twin Cities, immigration agents have identified legal observers by name and address, and, in some cases, led them back to their homes after they engaged in lawful monitoring of immigration activity. Legal observers say this pattern of behavior sends a clear and chilling message: The federal government knows who they are and where they live.

  • frunch@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Take a moment to read this article. There’s an account in the 2nd half that was absolutely chilling. Guy was full-on chased for being an observer and narrowly escaped what looked like it could have been a brutal or even fatal encounter after being boxed in by SUVs full of masked agents. I’m not sure what the solution is going to be here

    • Mirshe@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      The issue is that we’ve been looking at these people as misguided idiots rather than the thugs that ICE/CBP always were. They’re acting exactly as we should expect, except now they’ve got an admin backing them to the hilt on literally anything and everything they do.

      When you have a structure that’s been BUILT out of rotted wood, you can’t just replace the most obvious rot and call it good.

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Wait, what?

        This isn’t “what they always were”. There were problems before, absolutely. But now they’ve hired explicitly and intentionally from Nazi gangs.

        Your analogy implies they were trying to fix things. They were trying to break them.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 days ago

          You’re right, but I don’t think that’s what they were saying.

          I think they’re talking about the people themselves. These people have always been violent, awful, racist people, and have only just now started to feel empowered to commit the violence they’ve been clamoring for.

          • Serinus@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Even then, there wasn’t perfect overlap between the racist border patrol guys and the literal nazi gangs. Now there is.

            • Mirshe@lemmy.world
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              16 hours ago

              There might not have been OPENLY, but I highly doubt a group that literally refers to detained illegal migrants as “tonks” for the sound a flashlight makes hitting a human skull in its official documentation, mind you was not already happy to recruit open white supremacists.