To the editor:

The eyes of the world are watching Minnesota. We have not disappointed. We love our neighbors. We risk our own safety trying to protect each other. We have become a beacon for others to follow. I could not be more proud of my home state.

Thousands of armed and masked agents in camouflage have invaded Minnesota and terrorized our population. They outnumber our police forces. They hold themselves to be above the law. They accost people on the street with complexions or accents they don’t like. They break into houses without obtaining constitutionally required warrants. They detain witnesses and journalists to hide evidence of their activities.

U.S. Citizens, legal immigrants, and children have been detained. According to the CATO institute, “Only 5 percent of individuals booked into ICE detention had a violent criminal conviction,” and 73 percent had no conviction at all, not even a traffic ticket. Many of the criminals in ICE custody were transferred to them from Minnesota prisons, but ICE claimed that they were arrested by ICE. Many U.S. Citizens, including some of my relatives, are afraid to leave their homes.

Thousands of ordinary Minnesotans have volunteered to observe and record the actions of these unidentified masked agents. Minnesotans are donating food to residents confined to their homes. Minnesotans are watching for agents in unmarked cars and warning their neighbors of lurking danger.

Soon after Alex Pretti was killed by federal agents, Steven Miller and Kristi Noem accused Pretti of brandishing a gun and attacking the agents. Minnesotans on the street witnessed and recorded the shooting. They helped the woman in the pink jacket escape from ICE pursuit so that the world could see her recording of the shooting. The entire nation has seen that Miller and Noem lied about Pretti’s death. Many Americans were finally convinced that we cannot trust the current U.S. government to provide accurate information of any kind.

Listening to Bruce Springsteen’s anthem called “Streets of Minneapolis” brought tears to my eyes. Stand strong Minnesota. Show the world how to resist tyranny.

Sherwin Skar

Marshall