Heavyweight – Episode: "Minneapolis"

Host: Jonathan Goldstein
Date: February 5, 2026
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

"Minneapolis" follows host Jonathan Goldstein as he explores the ripple effects of ICE raids on families and communities in Minneapolis. The episode combines intimate conversations, firsthand accounts, and harrowing family stories—focusing both on a local family’s terrifying public encounters with ICE agents and the journey of a Venezuelan migrant family caught in the crossfire of American immigration enforcement. Heavyweight's tone is personal and direct, blending emotion, empathy, and Jonathan’s signature conversational style to tell stories of disruption and resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Recount of ICE Operation in Minneapolis

• Emily’s Encounter (02:22–15:13)

  • Emily, Jonathan’s wife, describes witnessing an ICE raid in her neighborhood, the chaos of unmarked vehicles driving the wrong way, masked men, and the trauma she experienced.
    • “There were, I don’t know if it was six or eight vehicles coming directly toward me going the wrong way down a one way at full speed... A bunch of men started running out of the cars and they were all masked and all the vehicles were unmarked. My brain just wasn’t connecting what was happening. And then I saw two women running toward this scene with whistles... somewhere in my head it clicked. Like, oh, this is an ICE raid.” [Emily, 02:45]
  • She witnesses and recounts the emotional aftermath: a brutal shooting nearby, cancelled schools, the impact on children, and a city on edge.
  • The difficulty of talking to her own son, Augie, about these realities, and trying to balance honesty with protection for his sense of safety.
    • “Even if he is safe, there’s a lot of kids right now around this city his age who aren’t. And that’s—how do you explain that?” [Emily, 06:01]
  • Describes a moment of vulnerability and unity as children process their fears together.
    • “We all sort of, like, hugged each other... It was really beautiful.” [Emily, 08:29]
  • Amidst the darkness, moments of childlike joy bring hope and comic relief.
    • Emily recounts Augie coming in wearing a captain’s hat, rapping about “yachts” and wanting a “cookie vacay” to break the tension of recent events. [09:22–09:41]

• Violence and Powerlessness at Another Raid (09:41–15:13)

  • Emily’s second experience with ICE: witnessing agents using pepper spray, flashbangs, breaking car windows, forcibly removing residents, and the overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
    • “Every part of you just wants to run and just, like, tackle that guy, but you know, you can’t. And so you just yell because what else do you do but just to stand there and see somebody brutalized like that, you just feel so powerless.” [Emily, 12:05]
  • Finding solace and help from a neighbor, a “helper,” even as faith in the efficacy of “looking for the helpers”—as per the Mr. Rogers ethos—frays in light of recent violence.
    • “You know, Renee Goode was a helper, and Alex Preddy was a helper. Like, they’re murdering the...” [Emily, 15:10]

2. The Story of a Family Caught in the System

Julio Cesar Sosa Celis & Family (18:46–36:08)

• Who is Julio? (18:46–20:35)

  • Julio, a Venezuelan immigrant with no criminal record, was shot in the leg by ICE agents during a raid. Official accounts conflict, with the FBI determining ICE was not looking for Julio and that the shooting was not in self-defense. Julio and his partner Indriani were arrested.
  • The focus moves to what life is like for their family, left behind in fear and isolation.

• Life in Hiding: Yamiles’ Family (20:35–29:58)

  • Yamiles, Indriani’s mother, cares for the couple’s young son and her own children. Since the raid, they live in hiding, blinds drawn, not leaving the house.
  • Even children have internalized the threat; her 10-year-old son asks, “Did you know when the ice thing’s gonna dawn?” [Javier, 22:31]
  • The family’s migration story unfolds: political persecution in Venezuela, perilous foot journey through the Darien Gap, evading cartels in Mexico, boarding “La Bestia” freight train, and eventual entry into the U.S.
    • “We walked for two months... sleeping in the street, eating what people would give us... but always happy, with a lot of faith in being able to once again see my daughter and my grandson.” [Yamiles, 23:30]
    • “We climbed up [the freight train] very quick. And we passed five days on the train. No bathroom, just a pot... In this way, Yamilis spent her birthday. She was turning 34 years old.” [Yamiles, 27:31–28:33]
  • Yamilis describes experiencing “blessings” amid the death and violence facing many migrants.

• Trauma of the Raid & Separation (31:01–35:14)

  • Recounts the family’s second separation, this time at the hands of U.S. agents who storm their home and arrest Julio and Indriani.
  • The event is relived through the voices of traumatized children, including the three-year-old who now cries at night and references the fear and violence repeatedly.
    • “He sleeps with me and I hear when he wakes up at night crying, crying, mom...” [Yamiles, 33:39]
  • The family, having survived one country’s persecution, faces another’s. The sense of disbelief is palpable:
    • “To flee political persecution from one country, the family underwent a death-defying journey to another country, only to be persecuted by that new country’s government. Could you ever have imagined that it would get this bad?” [Jonathan, 33:51]

• Hope, Hospitality, and Uncertainty (34:39–35:14)

  • Despite hardship, Yamilis finds beauty in her new home, looks forward to the future, and extends hospitality to Jonathan:
    • “Truly. You guys next summer are invited to eat at my house if I’m here. If everything’s mama, we’re gonna eat. Really.” [Yamiles, 34:39]
  • The episode ends with Julio being ordered released in court, only to be immediately detained again by ICE as he leaves. The family remains homebound and fearful.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Powerlessness of Witnessing State Violence:

  • “Every part of you just wants to run and just, like, tackle that guy, but you know, you can’t. And so you just yell because what else do you do but just to stand there and see somebody brutalized like that, you just feel so powerless.”
    Emily, 12:05

• Children’s Innocence and Trauma:

  • “It’s so sad that ICE murdered somebody.”
    Augie’s friends, via Emily, 08:03
  • “Did you know when the ice thing’s gonna dawn?”
    Javier, 22:31
  • “He sleeps with me and I hear when he wakes up at night crying, crying, mom...”
    Yamiles, 33:39

• Survival and Faith Amid Inhumanity:

  • “We walked for two months… but always happy, with a lot of faith in being able to once again see my daughter and my grandson.”
    Yamiles, 23:30

• Disbelief at Reality in the U.S.:

  • “To flee political persecution from one country, the family underwent a death-defying journey to another country, only to be persecuted by that new country’s government. Could you ever have imagined that it would get this bad?”
    Jonathan, 33:51

• Resilience and Generosity:

  • “Truly. You guys next summer are invited to eat at my house if I’m here. If everything’s mama, we’re gonna eat. Really.”
    Yamiles, 34:39

Important Timestamps

• Emily’s initial ICE raid experience: 02:22–05:14
• Impact on children and community: 06:01–09:41
• Emily’s second ICE encounter, violence, and aftermath: 09:41–16:05
• Julio’s shooting and background explained: 18:46–20:35
• The journey from Venezuela, “La Bestia” story: 23:30–29:58
• Night of the raid, separation, children’s trauma: 31:01–35:14
• Court, ongoing fear, and closing remarks: 35:14–36:08

Tone & Style

The tone throughout is empathetic, direct, and personal. Jonathan Goldstein and his interviewees speak candidly, with moments of heartbreak counterbalanced by humor and resilience—always humanizing the individuals behind the headlines. The storytelling is immersive, moving fluidly between narration, reflection, vivid anecdotes, and emotional exchanges.

Final Notes

This episode of Heavyweight is a powerful testament to the unforeseen consequences of policy at street level, the resilience of families facing unthinkable circumstances, and the shattering impact state violence can have on everyday lives. It gives voice to those left out of official narratives—parents, children, neighbors—and asks what it means to find agency, unity, and hope amid chaos and fear.