The Hill: Minnesota security crackdowns raise fears of civil war!
What began as a tight security crackdown on irregular migration quickly turned into an open confrontation on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the state capital, followed by violence and deaths, and prompted explicit warnings that the country could slide into a broader internal conflict.
According to the Hill news website, the deployment of thousands of federal immigration law enforcement agents, as part of the so-called “Urban Rush”, provoked the anger of Minnesota state authorities, who considered it a “Federal Invasion”.
The confrontation came against the backdrop of a welfare scam, but its repercussions far exceeded the security framework, especially after the murder of nurse Alex Pretty, and before him, René Goode, in two incidents linked to confrontations with FBI troops.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s comparison to the 1861 “Fort Sumter moment” that sparked the American Civil War was not just political rhetoric, but an accurate description of the violent divide between a federal armed force that kills citizens and a state authority trying to protect its sovereignty and its residents.
Despite historians’ warnings against historical exaggeration, they acknowledged that the roots of the crisis reflected an ancient American struggle over the boundaries of power, similar to the 19th-century Fugitive Slave Act.
Kevin White, a historian of the Civil War era and a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, believes that the road to civil war is neither inevitable nor lacking in emergency exits.
On the legal front, the crisis has revived the debate over the federal government’s ability to oblige states to implement their policies, particularly on immigration.
Minnesota has resorted to the courts, but local officials have warned against over-relying on the courts, as they see the administration as willing to ignore court rulings, citing precedents for deploying the National Guard in Democratic-controlled cities.
The tussle between local state and federal government has long been a feature of Trump’s presidency, amid campaigns targeting immigrants and preventing widespread crime in Democratic-led cities and states.
Minnesota and local officials have filed lawsuits to remove the ICE from their cities, and the judiciary is currently considering whether to stop the security spree.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry (D) said his city wouldn’t enforce federal immigration laws, which Trump called “playing with fire”.
The lack of trust in the judiciary has exacerbated tensions, as the courts try to balance powers, events on the ground move faster than legal proceedings.
To make matters worse, according to the Hill website, is the political discourse that embraces the idea of a national divorce or separation, legitimizing violent conflicts and making them an option in public debate.
Although military and political experts differentiate between sporadic violence and an all-out civil war that requires organized parties, they warn that the continuation of sporadic violence, coupled with extremist political rhetoric, could create an upward trajectory that is difficult to contain.
