Bulwark Takes — “Trump’s Minneapolis Raids Are Crushing Peoples’ Lives”

Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Sam Stein, The Bulwark
Guests: Adrian (reporter and community member recently in Minneapolis), Daniel Hernandez (Colonial Market & Restaurant owner), local activists, and affected citizens

Episode Overview

The episode dives into the direct, traumatic impacts of President Trump’s renewed ICE raids on Minneapolis' immigrant communities, especially Latino families and businesses. The Bulwark team, led by Sam Stein, brings firsthand accounts from the ground—stories of fear, economic devastation, family separation, and daily resilience in the shadow of intensifying federal immigration enforcement. The show highlights both the chaos following the tragic shooting of Renee Goode and the powerful community response determined to protect and support each other.

1. Firsthand Reporting from Minneapolis

Community on Edge Before and After the Shooting

• Sam Stein introduces Adrian, who spent four days reporting from Minneapolis just before the Alex Preddy shooting, documenting the escalating ICE activity and community resistance.
• Adrian describes a city “under siege” ([01:29–02:50]):
  • Business owners struggling to survive (“business is down 90%”)
  • Families terrified for their kids' safety
  • Activists providing immediate mutual aid—groceries, rent help, and emotional support
  • Courageous everyday resistance: whistle alerts, confrontations with armed agents

“As we heard from Renee Goode's widow, they have whistles. Those agents have guns. So it's as brave as it looks like.”
— Adrian ([01:46])

2. Impact on Individuals and Families

Fear, Economic Hardship, and Constant Threat

• Adrian interviews local residents (in both English and Spanish), revealing chilling daily realities:
  • Unprofessional handling and excessive violence by ICE agents
  • Even U.S. citizens feeling at risk for arbitrary arrest or violence

"They just take you over and throw you into the back of their cars."
— Local resident ([04:09])

• Fear keeps families and children indoors; business owners must risk going out to provide ([04:41–05:14])
• Traditional holidays erased by fear:

“There was no Christmas or New Year for the Spanish community because everybody was scared.”
— Resident ([05:21])

• Business activity devastated:
  • 90% drop in business for local Latino establishments ([05:50–06:02])
  • “Some of the business already closed.” — Local owner ([06:02])

3. Community Resistance and Survivors’ Stories

Mutual Protection Amid Chaos

• Residents and activists describe real-time responses to raids ([07:24–10:19]):
  • Whistle-blowing networks, honking cars alerting neighbors
  • Entrepreneurs and activists coordinate to document ICE activity and shelter at-risk community members
  • ICE presence described as aggressive, intentionally intimidating

“You could hear that the people were saying, it's ICE. Lock your doors... People started honking, people started using the whistles, alerting people that ICE was here.”
— Local activist ([07:45])

4. The Aftermath of Renee Goode’s Shooting

Trauma, Aggression, and Community Aid

• Adrian and a local activist describe the traumatizing aftermath ([10:25–13:56]):
  • Continuous abuse by ICE and border agents—even after violence
  • Agents use tear gas, rubber bullets; point weapons at teens, and show open hostility
  • Activists scramble to help: donning vests, bringing eye protection/masks, supporting the wounded and traumatized

“It was horrifying to see that despite [the shooting], ICE agents... were not de-escalating in any way... One of them pushed [a bystander] to the ground.”
— Community activist ([11:32])

“They were openly like they had their arms, their weapons out... to create fear. They were shooting some of the rubber bullets. One of them hit a 16-year-old.”
— Activist ([12:28])

• Stark scene:

“You could still see the blood... they were trying to block it off... trying to really hide what was happening.”
— Activist ([13:59])

5. Coping with Ongoing Trauma and Mobilization

Mental Health and Collective Resilience

• Frontline witnesses struggle to process relentless trauma, unsure how to support others while caring for themselves ([15:10–16:49])
  • Many families remain housebound for weeks, fearing any outing could lead to arrest or violence
  • Community workers—often equally at risk—grapple with “never being prepared for this,” but carry on through collective support

"We have to continue doing this knowing that we can't promise anybody that we will be okay, that we will be safe, because we don't...[but] we're just doing the best that we can to take care of each other, because if we don't, we can't take care of the community."
— Activist ([15:51])

6. Adapting and Preparing for More Raids

Community Networks and Mutual Aid

• Activist teams monitor helplines tracking ICE activity ([17:20])—hundreds of daily calls from fearful community members
• No sign of enforcement slowing; even U.S. citizens afraid to leave home

“Many of these people are also US citizens...are terrified because of all of the instances where they have arrested US Citizens, people with status, people with green cards that are being questioned, and people, regardless of status, are terrified.”
— Activist ([18:36])

7. Community Business and Solidarity

The Story of Colonial Market & Restaurant

• Daniel Hernandez (owner) on immigrant entrepreneurship and the crisis ([20:40–24:00])
  • 25+ years in Minnesota, running businesses for 14 years
  • Colonial Market a key Latino hub, offering familiar foods and goods
  • Business down from $1 million/month to $170,000 due to raids ([22:35])
  • Offers daily updates, free grocery delivery, and logistical support to families hit by ICE actions

“The sales began dropping at the beginning of 2025 when President Trump took office. My sales began dropping dramatically by month. We used to sell $1 million per month.”
— Daniel Hernandez ([22:15–22:35])

• Organizing city-wide mutual aid:
  • Collaborates with Mayor Fry, Minneapolis PD, National Guard to protect and support affected families
  • “DOPA” — legal arrangements for community members to care for children of deported parents; nearly 2,800 executed in 2025 ([24:15])
  • Pushing for community-based food aid that keeps resources in local shops

8. Closing Messages: Resilience and Defiance

• Sam Stein and guests highlight the fierceness of local solidarity—going beyond stereotypes of “Minnesota nice” ([19:34–20:38])
• Ordinary people, many with no prior activism, are standing up: “This is no longer an issue of left or right...but it's really about our humanity that is being questioned, our Constitution that is being questioned.”

Memorable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• Adrian: “As we heard from Renee Goode's widow, they have whistles. Those agents have guns. So it's as brave as it looks like.” ([01:46])
• Local Resident: "They just take you over and throw you into the back of their cars." ([04:09])
• Business owner: “There was no Christmas or New Year for the Spanish community because everybody was scared.” ([05:21])
• Activist: “They were shooting some of the rubber bullets. One of them hit a 16-year-old.” ([12:28])
• Activist: “You could still see the blood...they were trying to block it off...trying to really hide what was happening.” ([13:59])
• Community activist: “We can't promise anybody that we will be okay, that we will be safe, because we don't...but we're just doing the best that we can to take care of each other, because if we don't, we can't take care of the community.” ([15:51])
• Daniel Hernandez: "We used to sell $1 million per month." ([22:35])
• Daniel Hernandez: “Between January and December 2025, we did 2,757 dopas total. And most of the kids...I would say 90% of them were US citizens.” ([24:15])
• Activist: “This is no longer an issue of left or right or where you stand on that line, but it’s really about our humanity that is being questioned, our Constitution that is being questioned. And that’s why people are willing to stand up for one another.” ([19:34])

Key Timestamps

• [01:29] Adrian recounts tensions and courage in Minneapolis community
• [03:10–04:09] Local resident on ICE violence and fear as a US citizen
• [05:21] Christmas and New Year’s lost to fear
• [07:24] Activist describes ICE tactics and neighborhood response
• [10:25–13:59] Aftermath and trauma of Renee Goode shooting
• [15:10–16:49] Coping with trauma and supporting the team
• [17:20–19:02] Ongoing threats, mutual aid, inability to guarantee safety
• [20:40–24:15] Daniel Hernandez on the devastation of business and community activism

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode maintains a stark, honest, sometimes emotional tone. Urgency, exhaustion, fear, and defiance pulse through every story. The language is direct, first-person, and empathetic, reflecting the chaos and courage of the Minneapolis community under extreme pressure.

This episode is a must-listen for those seeking to understand the human cost of aggressive immigration enforcement—and the fierce resilience emerging in response.