"Winter in Minnesota is notoriously harsh, lasting until mid-spring and marked by below-freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall, and intense winds. It is a common misconception that survival requires either hibernation or migration, but blue jays roost communally to conserve warmth through the cold nights, and white-tailed deer congregate in wintering yards, finding safety in numbers. Surviving in hostile climates, whether environmental or political, is impossible in isolation."
"In recent months, they have been the target of a racist and relentless tirade of abuse from the highest offices of the United States. The Trump administration's inflammatory rhetoric against Somali immigrants has been coupled with the rescinding of Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, funding freezes to social services that many in the community rely on, and what acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons has claimed is the largest immigration enforcement operation ever."
Minnesota's long, harsh winter is used as a metaphor for communal survival: blue jays roost communally and white-tailed deer gather in wintering yards to conserve warmth and safety. Minnesota's Somali community faces intensified political hostility, including inflammatory rhetoric, the rescinding of Temporary Protected Status, social-service funding freezes, and large-scale ICE enforcement. Community members and allies respond by organizing patrols, mutual aid, and an ecosystem of care to protect residents, defend rights, and provide essential support rather than retreating. Volunteers visibly patrol neighborhoods, wearing patches that declare resistance to ICE presence.
Read at Truthout
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