In light of the recent surge in federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota — including the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Peretti in Minneapolis, the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers near Carleton’s campus on Jan. 24th and federal immigration officers at the Northfield Fairfield Inn & Suites on January 26th — many Carleton students are reacting and responding in various ways to show support for Carleton and Northfield’s immigrant communities.
For many Carleton students, protests are the most visible form of activism and are often favored as a result.
“I think Carleton has been pretty well involved, at the very least when it comes to high stakes activities like the [noise protests outside Fairfield Inn] last Monday, or involvement in the Twin Cities like with the general strike; there have been a lot of Carleton participation,” said Jonathan Martinez–Margarito ’28, who has been highly involved in activist efforts organized by the Wellstone House of Organizing and Activism (WHOA).
“I think a lot of [Carleton students] are outspoken for their dislike of ICE, like going to the protest at the hotel and being really passionate about making sure ICE knows that this is not a safe space for them, which was really nice to see,” says anonymous student A, who requested to remain unnamed. Although student A is an American citizen, she lacks physical documentation, which makes her especially vulnerable. “I don’t have proof that I’m a citizen and my proof [for] being in the United States is about to expire… if I were to meet up with ICE or anything and they ask me for a certification, I cannot give that to them.”
Although protests can be a valuable way to demonstrate widespread opposition to ICE, some feel their effectiveness is limited if other, less overt, forms of activism aren’t prioritized alongside rallying.
“I do feel like some of the white students here go protest — and I know that’s a good thing — but it feels like they’re doing it for their Instagram and then in their daily lives, they don’t do anything to actually support,” says student A.
Although Student A appreciated students showing up to protests, she argued that some students’ intentions can feel a little misguided or disingenuous.
“At [the Fairfield Inn protest], when Dean Livingston was there and talking to us, I remember [a Carleton student] from the protest was like, ‘shut up, b—.’ And I remember going, ‘whoa, okay’… There’s literally ICE agents in there and [Livingston] is just trying to tell you what the rules are. I feel like that energy should have been directed at ICE.”
At the same time, other students believe that, right now, it’s most important that students participate in anti-ICE activism in any way they can.
“There is a line of performativity and effectiveness,” says anonymous student B in an email interview. “It’s a hard one to manage, especially now, as people may feel (understandably) unsafe when it comes to protesting or engaging with ICE resistance and feel all they can do is repost Instagram posts. I’m not going to call people performative for doing what they can while keeping in mind their own safety.”
“I think the performativeness can come from maybe just like people who try to help but don’t know where they could be of most use when it comes to organizing here on campus,” says Martinez-Margarito.
Although protests are the most visible form of resistance, there are many other ways for Carleton students to support Northfield’s immigrant community.
“I think it’s incredibly effective to organize Carleton students around helping our community on campus and in Northfield, particularly food organizing and walking buddies are good examples of how to aid those who need it right now,” says student B.
Many Carleton students have been involved with food organizing in partnership with the Northfield Community Action Center, delivering basic necessities to community members who do not feel safe going out in public to shop or work. The walking buddies system has been a collaborative effort between engaged students like Martinez-Margarito and some Carleton staff. Student groups and staff have made special pins available to trusted members of the Carleton community that say “you can walk with me” or “walking buddy,” signaling that the wearer is willing to walk alongside vulnerable community members to provide extra safety while walking through campus.
There is also an unfilled need for students who can help Carleton more quickly identify nearby ICE presence.
“I think students can definitely go out on foot patrols, look for suspicious activity in town,” says Martinez-Margarito. “I think if more students were willing, students who have some general protections against immigration enforcement are able to go downtown or go around Northfield and be able to report back on any suspicious activity, then it makes mobilizing here in Northfield a lot easier.”
Mostly, students expressed that seemingly simple acts of service and aid are very needed right now.
“If you can volunteer at the food shelf, please do that,” says student A. “If you can volunteer at the elementary schools and help around there, if you have a car here and you have a bunch of free time and you can help with delivering groceries and stuff like that, that would be amazing.”
