How CLA Experts are Helping to Make Sense of this Moment

Recent ICE-involved shootings in Minnesota have prompted public discussion about democratic protest and legal authority. CLA faculty are featured in national and local coverage examining the implications of these events.

Originally posted on January 15, this collection grows as CLA experts share their insights in the media.

What are my rights?

When protests, law enforcement actions, and federal involvement collide, questions about civil liberties are often the first to arise. CLA legal scholar Jane Kirtley (Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication) is helping clarify what the law protects—and where its limits lie.

• "DOJ investigating after ICE protest at St. Paul church" — Jane Kirtley, interviewed by MPR News, on federal laws governing protest
• "What are the rights of protesters and observers watching ICE operations?" — Jane Kirtley, quoted by KSTP
• "Legal experts explain rights of demonstrators after new video is released" — Jane Kirtley, interviewed by KSTP
• "First Amendment lawyers say Minneapolis ICE observers are protected by Constitution" — Jane Kirtley, quoted in Minnesota Reformer
• MN Daily | GerShun Avilez on online learning options

Why is this happening now?

College of Liberal Arts faculty are providing context for why Minnesota has become a focal point—examining political strategy, federal enforcement priorities, and the broader national climate.

• "Before fatal ICE shooting, Minnesota had become Trump target" — Associate Professor Dan Myers (political science), quoted in U.S. News
• "With limited political power, Minnesota democrats navigate resistance to Trump" — Professor Michael Minta (political science), quoted in MPR News
• "How Minnesota became the center of a political crisis" — Professor Michael Minta (political science) discusses what brought attention to Minnesota and the state's midterm future
• "Opinion: The crackdown on Minneapolis is political retribution" — Professor Timothy R. Johnson (political science) and lecturer Timothy Collins are quoted by the Minnesota Daily

How is power operating at the local, state, and federal level?

From ICE operations to party politics, CLA experts are unpacking how authority, governance, and institutional power are shaping events on the ground.

• "ICE tactics threaten to unravel trust with local law enforcement" — Professor Michelle Phelps (sociology), quoted in the Star Tribune
• "Political tribalism consumes debate over ICE shooting" — Professor Howard Lavine (political science, political psychology), quoted in the Star Tribune
• "AI and disinformation about ICE" — Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law Jane Kirtley on AI images and disinformation in media for TPT Almanac
• TikTok denies censoring ICE videos in Minneapolis, blames power outage for disruptions — Jane Kirtley, interviewed by Kare 11
• "In Minneapolis, all-encompassing immigration story tests a newsroom in midst of digital transition" — Scott Libin (Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication, quoted by Politico
• "The Minneapolis police chief tried to repair his force. Can it survive ICE?" — Professor Michelle Phelps (sociology), quoted in The Washington Post
• UMN professors pressured as ICE presence looms on campus — Professor Rahsaan Mahadeo (African American & African studies), Professor Jane Blocker (art history), and Professor Christine Baeumler (art), Minnesota Daily
• Measuring the economic damage of Minnesota’s ICE surge is hard — Assistant Professor Nick Graetz (sociology), quoted by KFGO

How are communities experiencing and responding to this moment?

Our scholars are centering community voices and examining how people share information, organize, and care for one another during times of crisis.

• Opinion | At the University of Minnesota, neutrality has become censorship — Professor Michael Gallope (Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature), quoted in the Star Tribune
• "Social media account keeps Somali community informed, connected during challenging time" — Communication Specialist Abdi Mohamed (art), quoted in the Star Tribune
• "Minneapolis knows how to resist this state violence" — Professor Michelle Phelps (sociology), quoted in The New Republic
• "Grief has become infrastructure in Minneapolis, a city mobilized by trauma" — Professor Michelle Phelps (sociology), quoted for CNN
• How is Minneapolis affected by long-term conflict? — Director of the Human Rights Program Carrie Walling, interviewed by KARE 11
• Minnesotans are banding together to help cover rent for their immigrant neighbors — Assistant Professor Nick Graetz (sociology), quoted for CBS News
• Minneapolis Braces for Rent Crisis As ICE Surge Winds Down — Assistant Professor Nick Graetz (sociology), quoted by Bloomberg

What history shapes this moment?

Longer historical perspectives help explain why certain sites, institutions, and communities carry deep meaning in the present.

• "Fort Snelling: the advance guard of federal invasion since 1805" — Distinguished McKnight Professor David Aiona Chang (history), quoted in Racket
• "The criminalizing of protest and dissent has a long history in America" — Michelle Phelps (sociology) and Nick Estes (American Indian studies, history) are quoted in The Guardian

How are different groups interpreting the same events?

CLA faculty are helping explain why perceptions of Minneapolis—and of state power—can differ so sharply depending on identity, ideology, and experience.

• "Experts question federal claims of domestic terrorism in fatal shooting" — Assistant Professor Ruth DeFoster (Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication) is interviewed by KSTP
• "One state, two very different views of Minneapolis" — Professor Christopher Federico (political science, psychology), quoted in The New York Times
• "Oglala Sioux Tribe says three tribal members arrested in Minneapolis are in ICE detention" — Associate Professor Nick Estes (American Indian studies), quoted in CNN
• "Border Patrol avoids question about whether or not Alex Pretti was armed when federal officers fatally shot him" — Horace T. Morse Distinguished Professor Tim Johnson (political science) discusses the standard practices during federal use-of-force investigations for KARE 11
• "Letter from CEOs on immigration actions in Minnesota stirs strong public reactions" — Associate Professor Amy O’Connor (Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication), quoted in the Star Tribune
• "‘Political thunderstorm’: inside Trump’s attacks on the Somali community" — Professor Abdi Samatar (Geography, Environment & Society), quoted in The Guardian
• "Journalist Don Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes after covering anti-ICE church protest" — legal scholar Jane Kirtley, quoted by The Free Press
• This Minnesota Winter Is the New Prague Spring — Professor Alice Lovejoy (Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature) authors an essay for The Nation