To the editor,
We grew up in Stevens County. We are farm kids, 4-H kids, and Morris Tigers. We attended Faith Lutheran and Zion Lutheran Churches, and we were raised by a community of neighbors who always looked out for one another. That community instilled in us values we still carry today, and for that we are grateful.
Today, we all live in Minneapolis and are part of another community we love. One reason is that our neighborhood reminds us of home. Here too, we have a strong sense of community made up of neighbors, church friends, and school families. As neighbors do, we support one another—from sharing garden produce in the summer to shoveling each other’s driveways in the winter.
Please hear what Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis is like, from us. We are told that federal agents only arrest the “worst of the worst,” and that neighborhood observers are violent protestors. Our experience is very different.
We have seen our neighbors racially profiled and wrongfully detained, all who are here legally, with no criminal record. Our children witnessed federal agents descend on their school at dismissal time, spray students with chemical irritants and wrongfully detain their teachers.
Our coworkers, classmates, teachers, and neighbors are afraid to leave home, to go to work, bring their children to school, or buy groceries. In response, we participate in peaceful protests and vigils, donate and deliver groceries and stand watch outside our children’s school.
Growing up we learned that life is valuable, that everyone deserves due process, and that our immigrant ancestors were welcomed in Minnesota. We believed this because we saw Morris welcome our Hmong classmates in the 1980s and become a home today to many Latino families. We are heartbroken to see these values distorted to justify actions that undermine human dignity.
We ask those who share these values to join us in advocating for Minnesota families affected by these unjust measures. Please call U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach at (320) 403-6100 and insist that she uphold her commitment to the people of Minnesota and end Operation Metro Surge. If your values are still the values you taught us, please insist that immigration enforcement be carried out humanely.
Liz (Wendt) Leino
Jenny (Wendt) Roark
Ed Spohr
Mary Spohr
Sara Spohr
