University of Minnesota students feel a sense of relief; uncertainty with ICE 'drawdown'
- Lizzy Nyoike
- 4 minutes ago
- 3 min read
After months of state occupation under Operation Metro Surge, White House Border Czar Tom Homan on Feb. 12 announced a "drawdown" of federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota.
For University of Minnesota students, some are feeling a sense of relief while others still have questions and are uncertain about what change will really look like.
Maya Bell, a student at the University of Minnesota said the news felt like a turning point in the right direction after months of tension and uncertainty across campus and the surrounding communities.
“I feel a sense of relief in its ending,” Bell said. “It was crazy watching everything unfold this year. It felt like ICE was everywhere in Minneapolis.”
The ICE surge began to affect students directly when reports of agents allegedly staying at the Graduate Hotel on the university’s campus were made. The hotel became a focal point for demonstrations and protests. Student organizers, including the university’s Students for Democratic Society chapter held what they called a “noise demonstration” – often late in the evening – outside the hotel. Hundreds of anti-ICE protesters brought pots, pans, instruments and whistles demanding hotel management take action and prohibit ICE agents from staying at the property. During protests, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and State Patrol office were called for assistance and often clashed with protesters.
Bell, who lives on campus near the hotel, said she heard the protests and demonstrations unfold just outside her apartment.
“I felt a little worried,” Bell said. “I was near the protests at the Graduate Hotel, so I saw people protesting and getting arrested. There was also a worry that the police might enter my apartment during the arrests, but thankfully that never happened.”
For students such as Bell, the presence of ICE did not just feel political, it felt personal. She said her family feared she could be profiled.
“When my parents heard about ICE being on campus, they were worried I would be profiled,” she said. “I am a Black woman, so my parents thought ICE might mistake me for a Somali American. Even though most Somali Americans are citizens, my parents saw reports of some of them being detained by ICE for a time.”
Other students echoed similar emotions, saying they experienced anxiety and disruption to their academic experience. One senior student, who requested we not use her name, said the presence of ICE changed the way she experienced her final semester.
“When I first saw the news (of the drawdown), my initial reaction was like, ‘Yay,’” she said. “We've also seen that this administration kind of lies about a lot of different stuff, so I'll believe it when I see it.”
The student said the uncertainty surrounding the surge affected how she navigated campus life.
“I was online for the first two weeks of class, and that's definitely not how I want to start my last semester of college,” she said. “Being afraid to walk around on a campus that I personally loved for the past four years is crazy.”
She added that even everyday routines began to feel different. Graduate Hotel, once a favorite study spot throughout her college experience, no longer felt familiar after it was boarded up amid the heightened protests.
Another University of Minnesota student, who is a sophomore, said the announcement of the drawdown brought him a sense of relief. While he did not personally feel like a target during the surge, the increased presence of federal agents still created a sense of uncertainty.
“It’s good they’re drawing down,” he said.
Despite relief expressed by students, the question still remains, what does the federal drawdown announcement truly mean for Minnesotans.
“So it's good to hear that this could potentially be drawn down, but also what does drawdown even mean?,” the U of M senior questioned. “Are they taking agents out, does this mean that they're just going to try and blend them in more and make it seem like there's less of them here?”
Editor’s note: Due to concerns for individual’s safety, we allowed two subjects in this article to contribute anonymously.