On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” David Brooks offered his interpretation of why federal immigration enforcement officers were reduced in Minnesota following intense protests and deadly confrontations involving federal agents.
Brooks argued that the drawdown was due in part to sustained, disciplined public resistance that created what he described as a civic movement similar to historic civil rights protests — one that placed authorities in a difficult position.
“I think it’s partly because of the awfulness of those videos and the killings,” Brooks said, referencing widely circulated footage from Minneapolis that many viewed as troubling. “But it’s partly because of citizen power. We’ve been talking a lot over the months about a civic movement. And the people of Minneapolis, in bitter cold weather, behaved in a self-disciplined, humane way that appealed to people across the political spectrum… and they turned up the heat and they put the regime in an impossible situation.”
Brooks contended that protesters created a dilemma for officials: either crack down more forcefully and risk generating greater public hostility or scale back operations and lose control of the streets. He suggested that the latter outcome — a reduction in federal immigration personnel — ultimately occurred.
“That’s what a civic movement needs to do, put the pressure on the government… and expose the moral distance between one side and the other,” Brooks said.
The protests in Minneapolis followed a large-scale immigration enforcement surge that brought additional federal agents, including from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), into the area. The operation sparked controversy after fatal encounters involving U.S. citizens led to national scrutiny and mounting demonstrations.
Federal officials later announced a drawdown of agents in the region amid sustained unrest and political backlash. Local leaders and civil rights advocates have continued to call for oversight and accountability regarding enforcement tactics used during the surge.
Brooks also said he recently spoke with a historian who encouraged Americans to study the Civil Rights movement for lessons in civic engagement. He suggested that disciplined, organized protest in Minneapolis had a measurable impact on federal policy decisions.
