On Jan. 23, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Minneapolis. According to Minnesota Public Radio, a coalition of more than 100 groups used the day of action to call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to leave Minnesota.
South Dakotans were also there. SDPB’s Lori Walsh found one of them in Pierre. The Rev. Dr. Lauren Stanley is an Episcopal priest.
Walsh sat down with Mother Lauren, as she is known, and asked her why she went to Minneapolis and what she saw there.
On Wednesday, White House official Tom Homan announced a drawdown of 700 agents from Minnesota. According to Homan, the drawdown will drop the number of agents from around 3,000 to about 2,300.
Homan told protesters to "tone down the rhetoric."
"Stop violating the law and impeding and interfering with us, and the drawdown will be quicker," Homan said.
According to MPR, a coalition of Minnesota faith, labor and other community groups called Homan's announcement a "political stunt."
A statement from members of ICE Out of Minnesota Coalition said, in part: "There are still thousands of masked, unaccountable agents terrorizing our communities, attacking peaceful observers, and undermining Minnesotans' constitutional and civil rights."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Homan's announcement was "a step in the right direction."
