In my home state of Minnesota, 'neighbour' has become a rallying cry

Residents are pulling together to combat tactics similar to those used by secret police in repressive regimes

- Siri Hustvedt

I am writing from Brooklyn after a big snow that reminds me of the snows of my childhood in Northfield, Minnesota, a small college town of about 20,000 people south of Minneapolis. It’s cold in New York City, well below freezing, but not as cold as in my home state, where residents have organised to protest Minnesota’s occupation by Immigration Customs and Enforcement troops, known by the wintry acronym ICE.

On 27 January, my Minnesota sister Liv wrote: “ICE was in Northfield on Saturday night and detained a kitchen worker at the Reunion. All the staff walked out in solidarity. The same day Carleton [College] went into lockdown as ICE was roaming about campus. Yesterday, when leaving my office, I heard loud chanting. I got in my car and followed the noise. ICE was at the Fairfield Inn, and a large crowd had gathered outside peacefully protesting. People in cars were honking in support. Temps and wind chills have been below zero all week, but Northfielders have been out supporting neighbours.”

The organisation to protect immigrants in town is called Northfield Supporting Neighbors.

“Neighbour” has become a rallying cry in Minnesota: “We Love Our Somali Neighbors” and “We Love Our Immigrant Neighbors” are emblazoned on protest signs. Rev Dr Jessica Patchett, of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, wrote in a public statement: “As a church grounded in the call to love our neighbor, we cannot remain silent when an entire [Somali] community is targeted in a way that dehumanises its people. The church must be a voice of compassion and truth, standing firmly for the dignity and worth of every person.”