A Sit Down with Rep. Jayapal as ICE Violence Escalates

On her way to Minnesota, Rep. Jayapal outlines what real accountability for ICE fascists would actually look like

Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with Representative Pramila Jayapal as she travels to Minnesota for an urgent field hearing tomorrow on the escalating violence carried out by ICE agents across the United States.

This hearing is the sixth in Rep. Jayapal’s congressional series, Kidnapped and Disappeared, which documents ICE and CBP lawlessness and exposes how federal immigration enforcement is increasingly operating as an occupation in American communities. Tomorrow’s hearing, hosted by Rep. Jayapal (WA-07) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), will bring together 28 members of Congress, along with witnesses who have been brutalized, detained, or otherwise harmed by this surge of federal agents. Survivors, civil rights advocates, and legal experts will testify about personal trauma and constitutional violations stemming from Trump’s escalating assault on Minnesota.

This interview comes in the immediate aftermath of the horrific murder of Renee Good in Minnesota by an ICE agent last week, an injustice that has sparked nationwide protests and renewed demands for accountability. Across the country, Americans have taken to the streets to peacefully protest this rise in state violence and the unchecked power of federal law enforcement. Let’s Address This.

All That’s Happening Right Now

As protests against ICE violence continue nationwide, Donald Trump is escalating the crisis on multiple fronts.

He is reportedly sending even more militarized federal agents into Minnesota. According to Rep. Jayapal, there are roughly 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents deployed in the state. There were about 2,000 before. Another 1,000 are being sent.

Last night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a dire warning that ICE agents are going door to door in local communities, pressuring people to turn in their neighbors to law enforcement. The same night that a federal agent shot a Venezuelan man in the leg during an encounter in Minneapolis.

And today, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law that would allow him to deploy federal troops against civilians in response to protests. This is the reality on the ground as this conversation unfolded.

In the interview, Rep. Jayapal explains what she is seeing in Minnesota, the goals of tomorrow’s field hearing, and why Congress must urgently confront what is happening now.

What Real Accountability Looks Like

One of the most important parts of this conversation is the contrast between what Rep. Jayapal is calling for and what other Democratic leaders continue to offer.

While figures like Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker talk about “better training” for ICE, Rep. Jayapal is clear that training is not the issue. Lawlessness is.

She lays out exactly what real accountability would require. No arrests without a warrant. An end to private, for profit detention facilities. Real investigations and prosecutions when officers brutalize or kill civilians. This is a fundamentally different approach than the hollow rhetoric we are hearing from other Democratic leadership.

Rep Jayapal calls on the immediate urgency that Congress not provide another dime of funding for ICE and CBP without serious accountability. Not the type of accountability that Schumer and Booker are talking about. We’re talking about the real prosecution of officers who murder people. The basic due process of law.

Conclusion

While the vast majority of Americans across party lines reject this escalation of violence, Trump continues to push further. That reality leaves many people asking what recourse actually exists in a moment like this.

Rep. Jayapal is clear that peaceful protest, legal observation, and recording ICE activity matter now more than ever. Documentation is often the only reason accountability is even possible. Without video evidence, the murder of Renee Good might already be buried and forgotten.

This is not a time to disengage or look away. Stay informed. Look out for one another. And if you are protesting or supporting your community, I encourage you to read my post outlining 13 rules for staying safe during protests.