Recent reports indicate that Minnesota’s protests against ICE have connections to radical leftist organizations, notably one that received substantial financial support—around $7.8 million—from progressive billionaire George Soros.
A grassroots organization known as Indivisible Twin Cities, which has spearheaded many anti-ICE demonstrations in Minnesota, experienced tragedy on Wednesday when Renee Macklin Goode was reportedly shot by ICE agents while allegedly attempting to run them over with her vehicle.
Indivisible evolved from the Indivisible Project based in Washington, D.C., which aims to counter “Trump policies” and received nearly $7.85 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundations between 2018 and 2023, according to available records.
The group has also been involved in protests supporting Venezuela and “No Kings” demonstrations against the Trump administration that occurred nationwide last year.
Alongside Indivisible Twin Cities, which has not publicly disclosed its leadership, other protest organizers include the Council on American-Islamic Relations, with its Minnesota executive director, Jailani Hussein, actively campaigning against ICE.
During Wednesday’s protest, Hussein spoke through a megaphone, addressing the recent events. He mentioned, “A young warden was killed during his surveillance…but we believe in a peaceful way. They are lying about what occurred.”
Good, who had relocated from Colorado to Minnesota just last year, was known for her anti-ICE activism and was part of a coalition called ICE Watch, dedicated to halting ICE raids in Minneapolis. Notably, she was recognized as an anti-ICE “warrior.”
Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights attorney and the founder of the Racial Justice Network, was also prominently involved in organizing demonstrations following the incident.
Armstrong has been pivotal in establishing “legal watchdogs”—individuals who monitor federal activities during raids. She has shared details about vigils and protests through her social media, and she was significantly active in the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s death.
This week, after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he would not run for reelection amidst state welfare fraud issues, Armstrong criticized his decision as a regressive step.
In a Facebook message, she remarked, “If Democrats back down and fight back against these malicious attacks, they will not only lose their candidate… They teach voters that propaganda works, that brutality has no cost…”
Other organizers include Edwin Torres DeSantiago, who leads the Immigrant Defense Network—a coalition of over 90 nonprofit organizations focused on immigrant rights. Originally from El Salvador, he made history as the first undocumented immigrant to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota.
Following Goode’s death, Torres DeSantiago publicly criticized President Trump for contributing to a climate of “fear and confusion” in Minneapolis.
