Vermont clergy see Minnesota as 'testing ground' for Trump's immigration crackdown

The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota has sparked furious backlash. Protests have been held around the country following the killing by federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott characterized the immigration raids as “a deliberate federal intimidation and incitement of American citizens that’s resulting in the murder of Americans.”Last week, a group of over a dozen Vermont faith leaders responded to a national call for clergy to come to Minneapolis to bear witness and support besieged local religious leaders. On this Vermont Conversation, I spoke with two Vermont clergy who have just returned from a tumultuous and emotional trip to Minneapolis. Rabbi David Fainsilber is the rabbi of the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, and Rev. Dr. Becca Girrell is the pastor of United Community Church of Morrisville.“Minneapolis is serving as a testing ground. That is true both for the operations of ICE and Border Patrol and other federal enforcement (using) pretty brutal tactics, but it's also true of the community response and resilience,” said Rev. Girrell. “What moved me and stays with me the most is the way in which the people of Minneapolis are drawing together peacefully and legally and in strong solidarity and support."Rev. Girrell said that the brutal tactics of federal agents are “meant as a warning to people like me, to people of good faith or no faith all around the country, that we should not stand up for our neighbors, and we should not protect them with ourselves and our very lives if necessary. And what I saw was the people of Minneapolis will not comply with that order."Asked whether he saw parallels between the actions of federal agents in the U.S. and how immigrants were rounded up in Nazi Germany, Rabbi Fainsilber said the link wasn't necessary. "You don't need to look far to see slavery, to see genocide. Let's look in our own backyard here and our history to make the point that today is not okay. What is happening feels like a direct line from American history to today.”Fainsilber added that it is “time for people to raise their voices, to not sit on the sidelines, … to make sure that there's legal accountability when officers kill civilians, that there's no additional federal funding for ICE right now, for corporations to become Fourth Amendment businesses so that they're not aiding and abetting ICE activity.”Rev. Girrell returned from Minnesota with a warning. “The violence we see in Minneapolis may come here to Vermont. But the strength of community resilience is already here, and we continue to build that, and we continue to know our neighbors well, so that if there is a crisis, we can respond immediately, and we can respond with strength and love for our neighbors.”