A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says she's sending additional federal law enforcement agents to Minnesota.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Coming up, we'll speak with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about his response to the move, which comes after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in his city last week. First, though, let's get the latest information on the deployment and on the protests this Minneapolis killing has sparked in the city and across the nation.
MARTÍNEZ: Joining us from Minneapolis is NPR's Jason DeRose. Jason, so OK - additional forces. What do we know about these forces that Noem is sending?
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Well, Noem says she's moving many more Homeland Security agents into Minnesota. Here she is speaking on Fox News Sunday.
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KRISTI NOEM: There'll be hundreds more, and in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely.
DEROSE: She says some have already arrived. Others will arrive today. But some elected officials here are pushing back against DHS actions, including U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar. She's demanding a full investigation into Renee Good's killing. Also, A, U.S. representatives had normally been allowed to visit ICE detention centers unannounced, but Omar says she was turned away over the weekend. Now, Homeland Security, according to a memo obtained by NPR, now says it requires elected officials to give seven days' notice to enter a detention center. So overall, as someone who knows the area and has been here for a few days, tensions are pretty high. You hear sirens and helicopters throughout the day and night, and people are really on edge.
MARTÍNEZ: That neighborhood where the shooting took place - I mean, how are people feeling there?
DEROSE: Well, there is a lot of fear there, but there's also a lot of care for neighbors. I want to play this piece of tape for you from a singing and walking vigil from Sunday afternoon.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Singing) I am not afraid. I will stand for liberation 'cause I know...
DEROSE: Several hundred people gathered at a church not far from last week's killing and then walked about a mile loop around the neighborhood, singing to their neighbors to bring some comfort and encouragement. And as they walked, A, they stopped from time to time in places where ICE agents had detained people recently, and they kept a moment of silence at each of those places.
MARTÍNEZ: You know, there is a lot coming at Minneapolis right now - the killing of Renee Good, the larger immigration actions there. So tell us - I mean, you cover religion, Jason. What has been the response from communities of faith?
DEROSE: Well, you know, A, here in Minneapolis, people of faith have really taken the lead in working to counter what they believe to be unjust actions by the Trump administration around immigration enforcement. In a statement over the weekend, Renee Good's wife said that Renee was a Christian whose faith motivated her work. That's also true of Minneapolis resident Carol Hornbeck, a family therapist. She says she's been thinking a lot about a verse from the hymn "How Firm A Foundation."
CAROL HORNBECK: I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress so that the hardest thing becomes holy.
DEROSE: Hornbeck says the idea that her resistance work is hard but holy is what's giving her strength and resolve right now.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. Now, what are you going to be looking for in the next few days?
DEROSE: Well, as those additional federal agents arrive, I'll be looking to see what they're actually doing on the ground, and I'll be watching how community members who oppose ICE's presence respond to these increased federal forces. They've been patrolling neighborhoods and alerting people with whistles and chat groups about where ICE agents are. Will they continue to think that kind of work is enough, especially since ICE is now responding so aggressively, using pepper spray and, as of last week, deadly force?
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Jason DeRose in Minneapolis. Jason, thanks.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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