Sydney Martinez, Campus Carrier news editor

Recent protests and shootings in Minneapolis have shocked people across the nation, with Berry being no exception. Since late December, residents of Minneapolis and people across the country have protested the deaths of American citizens Keith Porter Jr., Renée Good, Alex Pretti, Marimar Martinez, as well as immigrants under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz Parady La, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz and Heber Sánchez Domínguez.

The Trump administration deployed 2,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents on Dec. 29, 2025. Administration officials said they were investigating fraudulent activity in Minneapolis by Somali residents who enrolled their store into a nonprofit organization called “Feeding Our Future,” a federally funded nutrition program to feed children.

Though officials said that DHS was in the area to investigate the fraudulent activity, ICE has remained in the city to detain and arrest undocumented immigrants as a part of President Trump’s larger immigration enforcement operation.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons described the deployment of DHS agents in Minneapolis as the agency’s “largest immigration operation ever.”

Assistant Professor of Political Science Samantha Call said one of the Trump administration’s main goals is to stop illegal immigration, but the situation has escalated into a larger operation.

“Since the beginning of this Trump administration, they have focused on a crackdown on illegal immigration,” Call said. “The actions of ICE since then have escalated quite a bit to the point where everyday citizens are concerned about potential overreach of ICE agents and of the administration, especially in cities where ICE has major operations.”

Call said that this isn’t the first time the United States has seen political violence, but it has increased in recent years and comes from citizens and officers alike. In this case, the U.S. has seen DHS agents committing more violence.

“We’ve seen a massive increase in political violence in the past few years, and political violence can come from any direction,” Call said. “It can come from citizens, it can come from agents of the state, and what we’re seeing now is an increase in violence coming from particularly agents of the state.”

Call said that what differentiates current political violence from the past is that it is unclear how the land limits the actions of ICE agents.

“It’s not entirely clear on what ICE agents are and are not allowed to do because the situation is still unfolding,” Call said. “There’s still a lot of court cases about it, and so there’s a lot of confusion about the things that ICE should and should not be doing, and whether they are allowed or not allowed by law.”

Call said that when there is political unrest or weakening democratic institutions, state agents will use physical force against residents.

“This is common in countries that are experiencing democratic backsliding, where you see an increased use of force against civilians,” Call said.

Activism across the country began to grow after Renée Good’s death in January. Protestors demand accountability of the situation and calling for ICE to leave Minneapolis.

“A lot of people have come out to show their opposition to that, as well as to try to potentially disrupt ICE actions against other members of the community,” Call said. “What is happening in Minneapolis right now is a very widespread version of that where we’ve seen a lot of collective action by citizens coming together to oppose ICE.”

Senior Roger Thomas is a conservative who relies on a variety of news sources and independent journalists for political information. He said commentary on the protestors and ICE agents have shown mixed feelings on both sides.

“As it stands right now, I feel like [commentary] goes back and forth,” Thomas said. “I will see the left-leaning journalists call the ICE agents cowards. It jumps in between for the more right-leaning sources. It’s more so trying to psychoanalyze the mind of the rationale of the protestors.”

After waiting to learn more information about officer Jonathan Ross’ killing of Good, Thomas said he sides with the ICE agents. He said the angles of the videos he saw on X determined where he stood on the situation, interpreting Good’s actions as an act of violence against the officers.

“Usually, I wait to determine things,” Thomas said. “As more and more footage came out, because there were like 20 angles of that incident, I do believe that it was, in a sense, justified.”

Thomas said that one of the most important pieces of evidence that made him come to his conclusion came from officer Jonathan Ross’s footage that was recorded using his personal phone. Thomas said one of the other ICE officers warned Good and her partner to get out of their vehicle before Good accelerated the car toward the officer. 

According to ABC News, Good’s car got stuck in the snow during the agents’ enforcement operation on Jan. 7. ABC’s analysis said that Ross shot Good just a moment after she turned her steering wheel to the right, away from the officer, and attempted to drive away.

“You can see Renée Good’s partner exit the vehicle, shouting at the officer,” Thomas said. “The partner leans into the window to tell Good to ‘drive, drive.’ You can see her make eye contact with the officer in front of the vehicle as she begins accelerating.”

Thomas said that he doesn’t agree with the actions of the protestors because he believes they are enticing violence, but he does think they have the right to protest regardless of their cause. There are no reputable reports of ICE or DHS agents being assaulted in Minneapolis.

“I think [the protestors] possess the right to peacefully protest,” Thomas said. “I don’t agree, not only with their motives, but their actions, because a lot of them will directly, not just confront, but actually commit acts towards ICE agents. That’s how things lead to more violence because you’re enacting violence on officers, and [their] protocols allow them to retaliate when harm is committed.”

Sophomore Cole Baggett said he became aware of the protests and presence of ICE in Minneapolis on social media, primarily through TikTok, news sources like the Associated Press and left-leaning sources publications. 

“Social media has become a haven for news like this,” Baggett said. “The thing about getting a lot of information from social media is you also see people posting their own unfiltered thoughts and perspectives.”

Baggett said right-wing sources have begun to look untrustworthy, in his view, and incorrectly label the victims of ICE strikes as something they’re not. 

“I think the labeling of the victims of ICE as domestic terrorists is ridiculous,” Baggett said. “Anything remotely right-leaning at this point is just completely untrustworthy.” 

Baggett said that the murders of Good and Pretti were unjustifiable. He said that one should not face deadly force for protesting and argued that the heavily militarized tactics used by ICE made such an outcome foreseeable. 

“I think it’s the obvious truth that nobody deserves to have their life taken away for protesting in any manner,” Baggett said. “I think with the very violent, militarized nature of ICE, this was bound to happen.” 

Baggett said that systemic failures in U.S. immigration policy make illegal immigration inevitable, adding that the current administration’s response with increased ICE presence in cities like Minneapolis has only intensified the problem rather than resolve it.  

“With how inefficient the immigration system is here in the United States, illegal immigration is bound to happen,” Baggett said. “I think the current administration’s solution to this is simply making the problem worse for everybody involved.” 

Baggett said the ICE system should be dismantled, arguing it hasn’t contributed positively to immigration reform. 

“I think the whole system has to go,” Baggett said. “I think it’s doing no good for immigration reform. Immigration is a natural part of world affairs, no matter the quantity.” 

Baggett protested with Rome residents and college students at 601 Broad Street on Saturday. He described the experience as a welcoming environment for those involved in the protest. 

“There were a lot of people [at the protest],” Baggett said. “There were a lot more Berry students than I expected. Lots of people went up to [the microphone] and shared their stories and experiences. Some of them were very touching.” 

Baggett said volunteers from the Floyd County Democratic Party were serving hot chocolate and handing out blankets for protestors to stay warm. Baggett encouraged community involvement and public expression, saying protests are more accessible than many assume. 

“I would encourage everybody to get out there and use their voice in any way they can,” Baggett said. “I encourage people to get involved in their local communities because [the protests] are a lot more accessible than I think people expect.”