SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Protests continue in Minneapolis as people there march in opposition to President Trump's immigration actions and the ICE shooting that killed Renee Good earlier this week. NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán is in Minneapolis and joins us now. Sergio, thanks so much for being with us.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Glad to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: You were out in the streets last night. What did you hear from people?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yeah. This particular protest I went to last night started outside a hotel where organizers say they believe ICE agents are staying, and it moved around downtown to a few other hotels. Now, some of the protesters tried to breach at least one hotel and vandalized at least one building, and that led to multiple arrests. Now, most people I talked to say they were out in the streets marching for two reasons. One was to honor the life of Renee Good. They wanted to remember her and process her killing together as a community. The other reason was to send a message to the Trump administration that Minnesotans do not want immigration agents in their city. That's what Minneapolis resident Dan Cragey (ph) told me.
DAN CRAGEY: The city is not safe right now with them here. I want my voice to be heard. I want my presence to be seen. And I want my daughters to see what's happening and to see what strength and resilience looks like.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Cragey also mentioned something others have told me, Scott. The city of Minneapolis has gone through so much trauma in the last five years, and they're tired of fighting.
SIMON: Before the killing of Renee Good, Minnesota had had several mass shootings just in the last year, and, of course, we recall the murder of George Floyd at the hands of local police. Does this come up in conversations you have with residents?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: A hundred percent. Residents here told me that they're sad, angry and hurt, and there's this feeling that this shooting could have the same effect and inflict as much trauma as the killing of George Floyd, which sparked some of the largest racial justice protests since the Civil Rights Movement. Yesterday, I went to the spot where Renee Good was killed. It's now a makeshift memorial full of flowers, art and candles. And there I met Ashley Burris (ph), who lives in Minneapolis. She says this moment is sad but also heartwarming because the community is coming together.
ASHLEY BURRIS: We saw it happen after the murder of George Floyd. We're seeing it happen again. No one is stronger than Minnesotans. We stand by each other. We protect each other, and we do right by each other.
SIMON: Sergio, remind us why President Trump sent a surge of immigration agents into the city in the first place.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Mostly to target the Somali community in Minnesota, which is the largest in the U.S. Last month, Trump called Somalis, quote, "garbage" and said he does not want them in the country. And right-wing influencers and other conservatives have been accusing Somalis of committing fraud in the state. Now, those allegations gained traction within the Trump administration and are part of the reason for the surge in immigration agents. However, despite all of this, the Somali community continues to push back. That's what Haleel Omar (ph), a Somali activist, says.
HALEEL OMAR: This administration is bringing a lot of fear, and I think that's their goal. But as Somali Americans, as Minnesotans, we're not going to fall for that. We're going to stand up because we're greater than fear. We believe in - that, you know, this storm is going to pass.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Omar says the Somali American community is also standing up for Renee Good.
SIMON: And, Sergio, the Trump administration has said it will continue its crackdown in Minnesota, right?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. The administration claims they're making the community safer by launching this operation. And they're certainly not backing down, Scott. In fact, I witnessed something kind of surreal happen yesterday. A rally was taking place where Renee Good was killed, and at least one SUV with federal immigration agents drove by the memorial. That SUV was trailed by a car with anti-ICE activists who were honking. Again, surreal, but this is Minneapolis right now.
SIMON: NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in Minneapolis. Thanks so much.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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