January 2026 was a tense month for our neighbors in Minneapolis, MN, and other places where Immigration officers were met with protests about their tactics and practices in carrying out their duties and responding to protesters and bystanders. In response to a call for clergy to travel to Minneapolis, MN, two of our clergy, Rev. Kelley Becker (Disciples Christian Church, Bartlesville) and Rev. David Wheeler (New Covenant Christian Church, OKC), traveled with a group of Interfaith clergy from Oklahoma to stand with our neighbors and be our eyes. Our Regional Minister asked Rev. Becker to write a short reflection about the experience.
By Rev. Kelley Becker
Rev. Davison asked me to write a few paragraphs about the trip to Minneapolis, MN Rev. David Wheeler and I took with an interfaith group of clergy in January. Here is a bit of what I learned and experienced.
We met on a Thursday morning at a large church in downtown Minneapolis. The speakers talked about what life is like in their neighborhoods. We heard about the store and restaurant owners who keep their business doors locked because they are afraid ICE will raid their businesses. Some people carry their passports and other identification to prove they are citizens or have the correct documentation. And sometimes it doesn’t matter. People are afraid, and rightly so, that they will be among the people who disappear. Families keep children home from school because they fear they will be detained or used as bait to trap the parents. Some people are not going to work, either because they are afraid or because their workplaces are closed.
Amid it all, I saw sacrificial neighborliness. Neighbors are going out of their way, at great risk to themselves, to take care of their neighbors. Many people have been trained to ICE Watch. I had a taste of what that is like. We set out two by two to walk a neighborhood, watching for ICE. Each pair was given a whistle and instructions on how to use it and when. We saw for ourselves that all the stores and restaurants were locked. Some had lights on and were clearly occupied; others were dark. We stopped to talk with a woman standing on the corner watching for ICE. She told us that almost every day, at least for an hour or two, she stands watch.
Organizers in the cities that have been hit hardest by ICE, L.A., Chicago, and Minneapolis, have been clear: ICE isn’t going to stop with them. In the words of one of the organizers, “You may not be seeing ICE in your cities and towns yet, but ICE is coming. They will be there, and we want you to be prepared.” While we were there, we got very fast training in community and neighborhood organizing, non-violent resistance, non-compliance, planning, and leading protests and sit-ins.
In addition to admiration and compassion for the people of Minneapolis, I took away the idea that because this organizing is based on building community and taking care of each other, if we do the work and prepare, and we never have to resist ICE in our communities, nothing is lost, and the gift of community is gained. And the reality is, there will be a moment when we need each other. Maybe it will be a weather event, a community tragedy, or another pandemic. Whatever it is, community will save us. Love and know your neighbors, dear ones. We are better together.
