MINNEAPOLIS – As word spread Tuesday about a large law enforcement presence involving immigration officers in south Minneapolis, a crowd of around 200 residents flooded the area.
City council members and activists drew attention to the scene on social media. Organizers tapped networks of trained legal observers. Concerned neighbors walked down the block with phones in hand.
Organizers and their allies believe the use of social media and text message networks is the best defense for keeping immigrant communities safe. But at the scene on E. Lake Street, tension quickly escalated between the large crowd and several dozen federal agents who arrived in military-style fatigues, face coverings, rifles and armored vehicles, and some local officials later criticized colleagues for spreading unverified information…