Letter: ICE has made us less safe

By Opinion Contributor///Jan 14, 2026

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I keep seeing this response to the Minnesota shooting: “If she had just obeyed law enforcement instructions, she’d still be alive today.”

I didn’t used to live in a country where failing to obey instructions was grounds for being shot in the head.

It used to be that law enforcement could only fire on civilians as a last resort to imminent danger. But it seems that ICE now draws weapons for literally everything, from shouted insults to bystanders with cell phones to someone throwing a snowball.

This vehicle in Minneapolis was turning away from the agent when he stepped up and shot her through the side window. But we’re told that following instructions would have saved her life.

I used to just have to tell my kids to obey the law. Now I have to tell them to do what the masked man says or they’ll get shot in the head. Somehow, that feels less safe than before ICE started protecting our streets.

Sydney Michalski

Columbia

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