You know shit has hit the fan when a German…

Capitan Slap A Hoe

1/27/2026, 7:21:57 AM

By this time, we've all heard a hundred stories about what's happening in Minnesota. I'm going to share mine anyway. A perspective on what the past two weeks have been like in Willmar, a small (21,000) rural Minnesota town made up of approximately 17% minority residents, mostly hailing from Mexico and Somali. A town where I work everyday as an HR Director, alongside so many dedicated colleagues and law enforcement professionals. This is not an account as reported by cable news or social media. This is what I've witnessed, what trusted friends and colleagues have witnessed, and what local law enforcement has reported. Because of our exceptionally large immigrant population (due to local meatpacking and agricultural industries and a welcoming spirit), Willmar has been the scene of an intense ICE presence over the past couple of weeks. Before I tell you what is happening, let me tell you what is definitely NOT happening. ICE did not arrive with a list of violent criminals that they were looking to round up (there are very, very few violent criminals in Willmar anyway). They have not coordinated any of their actions with local law enforcement or provided law enforcement with names or information about anyone who has been detained, which is generally supposed to happen through shared data bases. Here's what IS happening. ICE agents have frequented places that young Somali residents are known to work, such as Walmart. Did you know that every business in America is required to verify the work status of anyone that they employ? Using a social security number, two forms of ID, and a federal database, we have to confirm that each employee is in the US legally AND has authorization to work. So unless a business is paying someone under the table and not reporting the wages as a business expense (which I can assure you a corporation as large as Walmart is not), then the very fact that someone HAS a job indicates their legal status in the US. When ICE agents see a black person in Willmar, they've been asking them whether they are Somali. Not whether they are a citizen, are here legally, have ID, or a criminal record. Whether they are Somali. When ICE agents decide that someone looks like a valid target, they are pulling them from cars, streets, or buildings and stuffing them into vehicles. They are driving away from the scene and then, if the person is very lucky, asking about ID. If that person is able to produce valid proof of citizenship and are lucky enough to be released, ICE agents are dropping them at the side of the road to walk back to wherever they were taken from. Not sure if you've noticed, but it's been a little chilly lately for snatching people out of vehicles and dropping them off miles away to walk back. If they're lucky. Others are only released days later. Some never are. I mentioned that ICE is not updating databases with the names of people who have been detained or where they are being held. So when the local police department receives a call that someone didn't come home from work or school, they have no idea whether they should send out all available resources to search for a missing person or whether that person has been detained by ICE. They can't answer questions from residents about where their loved one is being held or what is happening to them. They don't have any information. I have the privilege of working with some great men and women on the Willmar PD, and of speaking with that department nearly every day. They will all tell you that this has been terrible for their department and our community. Imagine having to decide whether or not to go out and search for a missing child. Imagine getting a call that a child came home from school to an empty house and no parents. Imagine being asked in a City Council meeting if residents can call 911 if they've been confronted by ICE and fear for their life. This is the position that ICE is putting local law enforcement in. Because they aren't in town to arrest a list of criminals. They are in town to terrorize a community. Willmar is not a liberal community. It consistently votes Republican, insists on lower taxes, and has its fair share of racial tension. And you will be hard-pressed to find any group in Willmar that thinks the events of the past two weeks have been good for our community or have made anyone safer. We held our regular City Council meeting on Tuesday. It was 3 hours long and attended by so many people that they spilled out of the room and into the hallway. People desperate to find a way to protect their community. Most of them white residents who could put their heads down and live their lives in no danger. But they recognize that their neighbors need their help and their community needs their voices. They are not ok with ICE agents showing up at our schools. They are not ok with ICE agents targeting Somali business owners who have revitalized a dying downtown. They are not ok with how this country is treating refugees that were invited here to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. They are not ok. None of this is ok. *Edit: These are my own experiences and perspectives, which people are welcome to share. Others may have a different opinion, but this is still my personal page and racist hatred is not welcome here. For that reason, I've deleted the disgusting crap and turned off commenting for anyone that I don't personally know.

Ramblio