1. United States
2. Minn.
3. Letter

I am writing as a constituent to demand clear, public action in defense of democracy, accountability, and the rule of law in our state. What is happening in Minnesota right now with aggressive federal enforcement — particularly ICE operations that have resulted in the killing of civilians — is not only unacceptable, it is dangerous. When armed federal agents operate with little transparency, little local oversight, and apparent immunity from consequence, we are no longer talking about public safety. We are talking about state power turned against the people it is supposed to protect. I am calling on you to demand that Ross be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if wrongdoing is confirmed. Federal authority must never mean federal impunity. No badge, no agency, no political climate should place anyone above justice. History shows us exactly where this path leads when it goes unchecked. The use of fear, raids, intimidation, and militarized enforcement against civilian populations echoes some of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. I do not use that comparison lightly. But the tactics we are witnessing — intimidation, silence, and the normalization of abuse of power — are precisely how democracies erode. That is how the Brown Shirts operated: not through law, but through terror dressed up as order. Our founders warned us about this. In the Declaration of Independence, they wrote that governments exist to secure the rights of the people — and that when any government becomes destructive of those ends, it is the right of the people to demand change. They named life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness not as slogans, but as obligations of those in power. Anne Frank, writing under a regime that criminalized existence itself, captured the human cost of state cruelty when she described families being torn apart and people living in fear of authorities who no longer served justice. Her words remain relevant today — not because history repeats itself exactly, but because human suffering under unchecked power always follows the same pattern. Minnesota is better than this. America is supposed to be better than this. We are a nation built on a melting pot, on the belief that people from every background can live together under laws that protect rather than persecute. When federal enforcement turns communities into war zones and immigrants into enemies, we betray that promise. I am asking you — and I expect you — to do the following: • Demand a full, independent investigation into recent ICE actions in Minnesota. • Support the prosecution of Ross if the evidence warrants it — without political interference or federal shielding. • Publicly oppose the militarization of immigration enforcement that endangers civilians and corrodes democratic norms. • Stand clearly, publicly, and firmly for democracy over authoritarianism and law over power. Silence is not neutrality in moments like this. Silence is permission. I urge you to choose courage, accountability, and the values that this country claims to stand for — not just in speeches, but in action.