Minnesota has become the center of a national storm, after reports emerged that a five-year-old boy was allegedly used as bait in a federal immigration operation.
According to accounts, the child, suspected to be the son of undocumented immigrants, was picked up from school and brought home by masked, armed agents, who knocked on the door to try to lure his parents into arrest.
Kevin Doyle, Group Head of News at Mediahuis Ireland, described the scene in stark terms on The Anton Savage Show.
“You have armed federal agents effectively demanding papers from people. Using a child in this way, it’s very redolent of bleak times in Europe,” he said.
He added that the situation in Minnesota is intense.
“It just seems to be very targeted. They seem to be stirring it up and they’re using it as an example. Send in the troops, it’s toy soldier stuff really.”
Rhona Mahony, Consultant Obstetrician and former Master of the National Maternity Hospital, highlighted the human cost of this event.
“You have this idea of peace and diplomacy abroad,” she said.
“Meanwhile, at home, a five-year-old is caught in federal enforcement operations, and women are being shot during protests. It’s an extraordinary human cost.”
Doyle also noted the surreal nature of the crackdown in the US.
“Workers can’t go to work because ICE are going around to schools and workplaces, rounding up people, checking papers. It just all seems completely out of hand,” he said.
Adding to the chaos, much of the U.S., including Minnesota, is entering into a major winter storm.
Doyle explained, “CNN reported there’s a massive weather bomb heading across America. It’s heavy snow and extreme cold - minus 25 degrees in some places. FEMA is even telling agencies not to use the word ICE in alerts because it could go viral on social media.”
Mahony looked at the storm in the broader climate context.
Image via Pixabay.com“There’s a madness with this whole storm and then you think of Trump and his climate denial. Your country is facing literal ice storms and metaphorical ones, with people terrorized by federal agents,” she said. “It’s almost unbelievable.”
The story has led to public protests, including arrests of clergymen near airports, and left communities dealing with fear and freezing temperatures.
“You see the human suffering and the absolutely appalling vista of civil rights issues coming back into America,” Mahony said.
“What’s happening here isn’t just enforcement,” Doyle added.
“It’s the manner in which it’s being done that’s deeply troubling—especially in the middle of a literal storm, which only amplifies the fear.”
