After five weeks of protests, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has partially withdrawn from the state of Minnesota. Officially, ICE maintains a small presence in the state, but the withdrawal of the majority of its forces is a significant development. Today, this retreat continued in another key area: the criminalization of protest. Charges against protesters accused of assaulting ICE agents have been dropped. Yesterday, it was announced that Donald Trump ordered the termination of ICE operations that led to numerous arbitrary detentions, harassment of the population, and the deaths of two people in Minneapolis. The victim was defamed and criminalized, a common occurrence even in Argentina. The accusations were debunked, and following yesterday's announcement, the charges were also officially dropped. These achievements are the result of a persistent struggle that strengthened solidarity with other communities. It was also revealed that federal prosecutors decided to drop the assault charges against two ICE agents after new evidence emerged contradicting the official account of the events in Minneapolis. “I proposed, and President (Donald) Trump agreed, that this operation to increase the number of agents be concluded,” stated Tom Homan, known as the 'Border Czar' and head of this anti-immigrant police force. The public responded with actions such as the public shaming of ultra-right-wing ICE defender Jake Lang, who was forced to flee. This all comes after an intense month of street battles that spread across the country. It was over a month of struggle, massive mobilizations that did not cease, street blockades, and even confrontations with repressive forces following the murder of Renee Nicole Goodell on January 7th. The announcement was made by Tom Homan. Groups of Black Americans armed themselves and organized self-defense groups, which for many was 'the return of the Black Panthers,' despite no organic connection to the party. He later clarified that there is still 'zero tolerance' for obstructing these operations, but that he 'does not want to see any more bloodshed,' attempting to portray a belated gesture of sensitivity.
