"The most telling scenes for Andrew Hazzard are the abandoned cars in the middle of the streets. On a recent Friday morning, the Sahan Journal reporter was out in south Minneapolis, where he lives, looking for federal immigration activity. "I know they're very active in the morning," he said. Over the past several weeks, Hazzard has noticed trends, but the one that encapsulates what he says "feels like an occupation" is the abandoned vehicles."
"'I arrived too late,' he said. 'I didn't see what happened, but what I did see was an abandoned SUV - a Jeep - and there was a group of observers who had come in and also arrived too late to really witness this in person.' The Jeep sat in the middle of the street with the driver's side window open. The detained person's wallet was left on the seat."
"I got this woman's name. I've been attempting to track her through the ICE detainee system and she hasn't showed up yet. Since ICE was deployed to Minneapolis in early December, Hazzard's been on the ground covering the events that make national headlines: the tear gas, the larger clashes between ICE and observers or protesters. But for him, it's the abandoned cars that really characterize what's happening in the Twin Cities."
Andrew Hazzard monitors federal immigration enforcement in south Minneapolis and notes abandoned cars left after stops as a prominent sign of activity. Rapid response networks alert community members and prompt observers to arrive at scenes, often too late to witness arrests. One abandoned Jeep was left with its driver's window open and a detained person's wallet on the seat amid subzero temperatures. Observers worked to tow the car and contact the detainee's family, but the individual did not appear in the ICE detainee system. Tear gas and clashes have occurred, yet abandoned vehicles have become the most visible marker of enforcement's impact.
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