What I saw, as federal agents stormed the city and residents banded together to protect themselves, was a dark, dystopian future becoming reality.
Donald Trump’s most profound break with American democracy, evident in his words and actions alike, is his view that the state’s relationship with its citizens is defined not by ideals or rules but rather by expressions of power, at the personal direction of the president. That has been clear enough for years, but I had not truly seen what it looked like in person until I arrived in Minneapolis
Trump’s federal deployment in Minneapolis was not just about immigration. It functioned as ritual discipline of liberal cities, stripping long-held protections and showing how little elected officials could stop it. I asked Frey if this power display undermined city credibility. He said the opposite was happening: unity, pride, and unexpected cooperation with police.
