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00:10President Trump's immigration crackdown has divided America.
00:15The two people who got killed are largely responsible for their own death.
00:21The U.S. government is spending an extra $75 billion on enforcement.
00:26This is a campaign of fear and it's a campaign of making America whiter and anti-immigrant.
00:34They say they're targeting the worst of the worst.
00:39These are all criminal, illegal aliens. In many cases they're murderers, they're drug lords.
00:46Millions of people are being threatened with deportation.
00:49People need to take responsibility for themselves and for decisions that they've made and the consequences.
00:56And ordinary families can be ripped apart.
01:00These are not the worst of the worst. These are the best of the best.
01:11What happened?
01:14Minnesota in early February and Javier Abreu has been stopped by the U.S. Immigration and Customs
01:21Enforcement Agency, ICE.
01:31He's scared to open the car door and is filming on his phone.
01:37Two people have already been shot dead by federal agents in Minnesota.
01:41cold, hot water.
01:54Out.
01:57I'm going to be out.
01:57I'm going to be out.
01:59No, don't be out.
02:00Don't be out, I'm going to be out.
02:02I'm going to be out.
02:06are you okay
02:15I'm right here
02:17I'm right here
02:29I'm right here
02:42Javier and his wife Carolina came to the US from the Dominican Republic eight years ago
02:48he had a kidney transplant in 2023 and needs to take drugs every day so his body doesn't reject
02:55the kidney Carolina sent ice his medication but Javier didn't get it straight away
03:19Carolina is a trainee nurse in a hospital in Minnesota and has been granted residency
03:31Javier broke immigration law by overstaying a tourist visa
03:35he'd applied for residency before he was arrested and was awaiting a decision
03:41now he's in a detention center facing deportation
03:48the couple's youngest daughter is a US citizen because she was born in america
03:54how are the girls doing
04:10under previous administrations Javier would probably not have been detained while his application
04:17was being decided
04:25but decisions often took years and many americans were angry about the rising number of immigrants
04:32during his election campaign president trump promised voters a crackdown
04:38on my first day back in the white house I will terminate every open border policy of the
04:43biden administration stop the invasion on our southern border
04:47and begin the largest domestic deportation operation in american history we have no choice
04:54his administration is trying to overturn the right of people born in america
04:59to immigrant parents to get automatic citizenship
05:07ice is getting an extra 75 billion dollars of funding
05:14and the number of ice agents has more than doubled to 22,000
05:19they've been sent to u.s cities to detain and deport some of america's estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants
05:28he is threatening to arrest everybody if we don't move it's happening right now
05:32the rate of ice arrests has quadrupled since president trump's return to office
05:39400 000 people detained nationwide
05:42let them go let them go
05:50how many people does the trump administration want to deport
05:55they've said anyone who's deportable is on the table
05:58how many people would you allow stay here who are currently designated as undocumented immigrants
06:03i'm zero it is bad policy to provide amnesty but because it just encourages more illegal immigration in the future
06:11there are roughly 14 million undocumented immigrants in the united states to actually deport four percent of the u.s
06:18population
06:19roughly one in every 24 people in the country
06:22would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and impose enormous economic damage on the country
06:28but president trump would say that he was elected with a mandate to do exactly what he's doing now
06:33i think when you look at what he said on the campaign trail
06:36mass deportations was a term he never defined
06:44last december the trump administration launched operation metro surge
06:50four thousand federal agents were sent to minnesota
07:02in early january mother of three renee good was shot dead while observing an ice operation in minneapolis
07:12the department of homeland security said the agent shot her in self-defense
07:17shame oh my god
07:24shame shame don't let the murderer leave don't let the murderer leave
07:32at the time president trump also defended the shooting
07:36the moment was very violent she's a you know very radical person very sad what happened
07:42the president stands with ice i stand with ice
07:44we stand with all of our law enforcement officers
07:47that is police brutality
07:49we are hitting that observer
07:51seventeen days later federal agents shot dead another observer in minneapolis
07:57intensive care nurse alex pretty
08:00he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon and had a gun in his waistband
08:05close examination of the footage appears to show he was disarmed before he was shot
08:18once again the trump administration defended the killing
08:23this individual who came with weapons and ammunition to stop a law enforcement operation
08:29of federal law enforcement officers committed an act of domestic terrorism that's the facts
08:38that's the facts
08:39president trump later said the two shootings shouldn't have happened and that his government's investigating
08:45but the authorities in minnesota are suing the federal government for failing to cooperate with the local police investigations
08:59thank you for being here
09:03we have people coming every day
09:06to remember alex party and renee good because what they witness and what they saw
09:11no one can tell them that they saw something else
09:14this is a campaign of fear and it's a campaign of making america
09:20whiter and anti-immigrant and our neighbors here don't care for that and don't support it
09:28the shootings have divided america
09:35donald trump ran on removing the illegal immigrants
09:39republicans are here tonight to hear from candidates who want to be the next governor of minnesota
09:45some here blame protesters for provoking confrontation
09:49i mean they've why what are they doing there they're just interrupting law enforcement so yeah
09:54it's a tragedy but the two people who got killed are largely responsible for their home deaths they were very
10:03foolish
10:15it's mid-february and we're going to see one of the thousands of families who've been hiding in minneapolis
10:21since the start of the ice operation
10:25they think they'll be targeted if they leave their home or show their faces on camera
10:32it's been scary it's been a very difficult time and there's a lot of fear and trauma in my family
10:42the couple who were calling lisbeth and alfonso arrived from mexico as children more than 20 years ago
10:51they both applied to stay in the u.s and she's been granted temporary residency
10:57and another time this would have been okay and enough to live a normal life
11:03but in this administration it means that our process has no validation
11:09we can be detained and he can get deported at any time
11:14she was a community worker and her husband works in construction and catering
11:21they gave up work because of the ice operation but he's now gone back
11:27i begged him not to go to work but he told me we still need to eat and pay the
11:32bills
11:33their two children were born in america and are u.s citizens but they're now being taught at home
11:40local schools have warned that ice has been targeting families on the school run
11:45and sometimes i really want to come back to mexico city and start a new life for us
11:52and like a freedom for my kids
11:59what is your single biggest fear?
12:03that they see me handcuffed like a criminal
12:06that in their little minds they have that image in their heads forever
12:11of seeing their parents handcuffed
12:16there are almost five million mixed status families like this in the u.s
12:22where some members of the family have the right to live in america
12:26and others could be deported
12:29deportation would tear those families apart or disrupt them significantly
12:33it may mean children have to depart the united states despite being u.s citizens
12:38or live with another family member
12:39unfortunately people have made decisions that
12:42to whether violate the law or continue to do so
12:46and that means then it impacts others around them
12:50people need to take responsibility for themselves
12:53and for decisions that they've made and the consequences
12:58the trump administration says that ice is going after
13:01the most serious criminals
13:03the worst of the worst
13:07boy these are rough characters
13:10these are all criminal illegal aliens
13:12that in many cases they're murderers
13:15they're drug lords
13:22while some of those arrested by ice have been convicted of serious crimes
13:27seventy percent don't have any convictions in the u.s at all
13:33mass deportations for most people meant going after the bad guys
13:37but there aren't that many so-called bad guys
13:40most undocumented immigrants live lives that yes
13:43are in violation of immigration law but are otherwise fairly normal
13:54in minnesota there's an extensive network of volunteers helping people who are afraid to go out
14:00this one food bank is making around five thousand home deliveries a week
14:07the scale of this operation tells you two things
14:10one the amount of people who are prepared to help
14:13and two the amount of people who need that help
14:19why do people need these food deliveries why are they afraid to go out
14:23because they're they're afraid to be catch not all are undocumented even people with legal status
14:32people with u.s citizens uh uh resident legal residents are afraid to do this
14:38to go out and being detained these are not the worst of the worst
14:43these are the best of the best these people they have good things to offer to this country
14:50the volunteers here are nearly all white they say that's because people of color have been arrested on food runs
14:59my dad he got pulled over doing the same thing what we're doing
15:03and then the one hour they just transported him to texas
15:07the exact way no hearing from his lawyer no no nothing
15:12after his arrest their father spent 16 nights in detention before he was released
15:18Ellie whose four children are u.s citizens came to america illegally 29 years ago
15:24but was close to being granted permanent residency
15:27I thought it was something unfair that they were making me
15:31because I had my license and my job permit
15:36and I was waiting for my green card to be able to see everyone
15:40I put my hands and feet with a chain here
15:45and then I had a car accident here
15:56community groups in Minnesota say they've trained 35,000 people how to safely monitor and observe ice agents
16:04we are going to the hotel they've been staying at for at least the last month
16:09I guarantee you there'll be at least one ICE vehicle there.
16:14Madison is on patrol most mornings.
16:17But are you breaking the law by following them?
16:19Absolutely not.
16:21From a safe distance?
16:22Yeah, from a safe distance, you are completely allowed
16:24to observe federal operations.
16:27I'm not allowed to impede them,
16:29but it's kind of hard to impede people from behind.
16:33They've compiled their own database of vehicles
16:36they say are used by the agency.
16:39I can see this one plate.
16:41I can run that one.
16:43That's confirmed ICE.
16:4414 reports on that one.
16:47This person here is filming us.
16:49Yep.
16:50Don't know why.
16:52She's probably a nice agent.
16:56Madison knows it can be dangerous work.
16:59A federal agent appeared to pull a gun on her
17:01when she drove past his vehicle in January.
17:07We've verified the footage.
17:10Are you conscious at all of the risks you're taking?
17:13I mean, two people, Alex Prady, Rene Good have been shot dead.
17:17Both were observers.
17:19I am ready to die for this country to try and turn it into what it's supposed to be.
17:23I am well aware that that is a possibility,
17:25but I do a lot to try and make sure that does not happen to me.
17:36Carolina is waiting for news about her husband.
17:39Javier Abreu, who needs daily medication following a kidney transplant,
17:44has been at detention for a week.
18:02He's facing deportation, though he has no criminal record.
18:08Hello.
18:09Good morning.
18:09You have a few minutes to talk right now.
18:12Yes.
18:14Okay.
18:15Javier Abreu, who approved a fianza of $12,000?
18:19That's sick.
18:21You're going to lose that phone.
18:25The lawyer gave me good news and told me that the judge approved the fianza of my husband.
18:31It's $12,000 that you have to pay.
18:35How do you get that?
18:37I don't know, but there are people who are dying.
18:42Happy, happy, happy, happy.
18:51The number of migrants in detention centres reached 70,000 in January.
18:57That's almost double the number detained at the start of President Trump's second term.
19:03Many are held hundreds of miles from their homes.
19:07Javier was sent to a detention centre in Texas, close to the Mexican border.
19:13There it is, Camp East Montana, a vast complex of tents.
19:17It's currently the largest detention centre in the ICE network.
19:244,000 people can be held here.
19:27An ICE inspection found failings with medical provision, use of force, and keeping detainees safe.
19:34It was rated adequate overall.
19:37One detainee died in January after being restrained by guards.
19:42ICE said a second death that month was believed to be a suicide.
19:47Ellie was in Camp East Montana at the time.
19:52All the color is white.
19:54Everything is white.
19:55People are stressed a lot.
19:58Not only me, but many friends were very stressed.
20:01One looks like it's okay, but I don't think it's a trauma.
20:06I don't know how long it is, but it affects me, my family, my wife, my children.
20:17This morning, I conducted an unannounced visit to the ICE detention facility in my district, Camp East Montana.
20:27We've had TB, tuberculosis outbreaks.
20:30We now have measles inside the facility.
20:33I was speaking to a man who had been detained.
20:36He had been so violently apprehended that the agents broke his arm.
20:43I could see the bone break.
20:47I asked him, did you alert the staff here at Camp East Montana?
20:51And he said, I've been alerting them every day.
20:54I'm so desperate, he said.
20:57I just want to be deported so I can check myself into a hospital in my home country.
21:02The process, I believe, is intended to be cruel.
21:13In a gun shop in nearby El Paso, there are very different views about the detention centers.
21:19We can get the real conservative we've always deserved.
21:22That's what I think we're going to do this time.
21:24This is a campaign event for Brandon Herrera.
21:27He's running for Congress in Texas' 23rd District.
21:35There's something like 70,000 people currently in detention centers in America.
21:39That's a lot of people.
21:40Actually, I would say that, if anything, I think the numbers are quite low.
21:45Our immigration system, as it is, is wrought with inefficiencies.
21:48I think at a certain point you can't just selectively decide which of your country's laws you're going to enforce.
21:53Bottom line, you are 100% behind President Trump's immigration policies.
21:57And I'm willing to be there in D.C., try to help him in the legislature to make it, again,
22:03more aggressive, again, on the criminal illegals.
22:15President Trump's supporters say you can see the success of his policies along the Mexican border.
22:23What the government calls border encounters have fallen dramatically.
22:28And over the past nine months, not a single person stopped here has been allowed into the U.S.
22:37While we were here filming, border patrols spotted two people trying to cross the border up there on the brow
22:42of that hill.
22:44They quickly arrested them and told us they would be sent straight back.
22:58We're right on the border where we're physically standing right now.
23:03We have been offering shelter to the refugees that have been crossing the border
23:09ever since Annunciation House came into existence in 78.
23:15Reuben Garcia's charity in El Paso used to house around 1,000 people a night.
23:21Last night, there were just 18.
23:24Does it say that the administration's immigration policy has worked, at least here in El Paso?
23:30The numbers right now are very, very low, but this isn't the first time we have seen very, very low
23:39number.
23:39Do I see individuals suffering because of policies?
23:45Absolutely. Absolutely.
23:47I think it's important for us to hear their stories and then to ask ourselves, is this who we want
23:54to be?
23:5929 people died in detention centers last year, the highest number in 20 years.
24:06So far this year, 15 detainees have died.
24:10As part of its budget increase, ICE has $45 billion to spend on detention centers.
24:17The plan is to have space for 93,000 detainees by November.
24:23It includes converting these buildings near El Paso to hold around 8,000 people.
24:30These warehouses in the desert and more planned across the country
24:35really illustrate the industrialization of this administration's immigration policy.
24:47Immigration detention has long been part of immigration law.
24:51I have visited immigration detention centers, and I've observed the very high standards
25:00in terms of shelter, health care, dental, recreational, legal access opportunities.
25:09In the last year, you're saying you've visited such centers?
25:12No, not in the last year.
25:14And in terms of the new policy of converting, repurposing warehouses for the detention of people,
25:24does that raise any alarm bells with you?
25:28I'm sure they'll have to meet the same standards as other centers.
25:32That the Trump administration believes that warehouses are where human beings can be kept for significant periods of time
25:43is demonstrative of the incredible cruelty and inhumanity.
25:48What about people who did enter the country here illegally?
25:51Shouldn't they be straightforwardly deported?
25:54If their only crime has been to walk across the border without documents, I think there should be a process
26:01for them to regularize their status and be able to remain here.
26:07We wrote twice. They didn't respond.
26:13The White House said the president's highest priority has been the deportation of illegal alien criminals
26:19and that they had the most secure border in U.S. history.
26:22They said new agreements with local police represent unprecedented levels of cooperation
26:28and that local officials should want to work with federal law enforcement to keep communities safe.
26:36President Trump has appointed a new Homeland Security Secretary
26:40and said that ICE could use a softer touch.
26:44But billions of dollars are still being spent on new facilities and manpower.
26:49ICE has already deported almost half a million people in the president's second term.
26:56President Trump's commitment to his policy of mass detention and deportation remains undiminished,
27:05meaning millions of people face a future defined by uncertainty and fear.
27:14It's a policy that many Americans still support.
27:21Back in Minnesota, the ICE operation ended after 4,000 arrests.
27:30Thousands of people are no longer in hiding and one family is being reunited.
27:44After 13 days in detention, Javier Abreu has been released.
27:50A judge will decide later this year if he can stay in America with his family.
27:55How was it where you were?
28:05What's it like to be with your family again?
28:07It's good because it's part of my life.
28:12I'm happy for the moment but I'm with a hand that I didn't want.
28:25Like millions of other undocumented immigrants, Javier could still be deported, as President
28:31Trump delivers on his promise to crack down on immigration.
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