Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

From Minnesota: Another ICE shooting & ongoing protests January 24, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 12:14 PM
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BREAKING: Federal agents shot and killed a man in south Minneapolis this morning, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. I watched a video of the shooting on the Minneapolis Star Tribune live updates. This is an unfolding story. This marks the third shooting (the second fatal) in Minneapolis by federal agents since Metro Surge began.

This shows a portion of the people protesting in downtown Minneapolis on Friday afternoon. (Photo provided by a family member)

Here’s the post I was working on when I learned about today’s shooting:

MINNESOTANS REMAIN STRONG and undeterred in their opposition to ongoing ICE enforcement in our state. Nowhere was that strength of resistance more publicly visible than Friday afternoon in downtown Minneapolis.

A close-up of the protesters in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon. (Photo by and courtesy of Jill Bode)

Thousands (some estimates are 50,000) bundled up and marched in a double digit subzero wind chill to protest ICE actions, gathering afterwards for a rally inside Target Center. Those protesters included my cousins who live in south Minneapolis. They want ICE out of their neighborhoods, their city, our state. So do I.

I should note that not every Minnesotan opposes ICE’s massive enforcement efforts here. I don’t understand how anyone can be OK with the often aggressive, violent and unconstitutional ways in which these federal agents are operating in Minnesota. This has gone well beyond their originally-stated goal of gathering and deporting “the worst of the worst,” violent criminals who are here illegally.

I should also note that ICE’s reach stretches well beyond the Twin Cities metro. Agents are detaining people in my community of Faribault. Likewise in Rochester (home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic), Mankato, St. Cloud, Northfield, even small towns like St. James and many more places in between.

Momentum against ICE is growing as the impact on people is being felt in multiple ways. Healthcare workers say patients are afraid to seek care and that their physical and mental health are being affected. Plus, doctors and nurses are under tremendous stress, especially when ICE agents enter clinics and hospitals.

ICE has stopped off-duty law enforcement officers of color in instances of reported racial profiling.

Students are walking out of classes, concerned about their classmates, some of whom have been taken by ICE. Others are not coming to school. Schools are going to virtual learning.

Labor unions have publicly stood up against ICE.

At the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, local clergy and clergy from across the country gathered outside terminal one on Friday to protest deportation flights in and out of the airport and ICE’s presence in Minnesota.

Educators are speaking out about the fear they are seeing in their students, about the students who are not coming to school, about the students who have been taken by ICE.

And then there’s the group of “Women with Walkers” who gathered in the chapel of a senior living community in St. Paul Friday afternoon to pray and protest in their own quiet way.

I can’t write any more. Not in this moment. I am too angry.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Icy cold in Minnesota, a commentary January 23, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 12:44 PM
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Grilled cheese, the ultimate comfort food. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

THIS IS A TOMATO SOUP and grilled cheese kind of day in Minnesota. Or maybe a Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish kind of day, depending on your preference. With that theme, I’ll start today’s post with the weather and move on from there to a potluck of topics.

We are currently in a statewide extreme weather warning with air temps in southern Minnesota well below zero. Factor in the wind and the air temp feels like minus 30 degrees below zero, give or take some degrees depending on location. Overnight, the wind chill plunged into the -40 to nearly -60 degrees in parts of Minnesota. Exposed skin can freeze in five minutes. It’s that kind of brutal, icy cold.

Schools across the state are closed with many transitioning to online learning. Businesses, too, are shuttered, especially in the Twin Cities metro, but not necessarily due to the deep freeze temps.

A sign I crafted for a recent protest in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

DAY OF TRUTH & FREEDOM

Today marks a day of economic blackout and protest in Minnesota under the banner of “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom.” Many metro businesses are closed in support of that protest, businesses that have already been negatively impacted by ICE presence in this state. Employees are afraid to come to work. Customers likewise. I’m no numbers person, but I wonder how long small businesses can survive.

ICE Out of Minnesota is a protest against federal government immigration enforcement here. The protest is a show of solidarity with the unified message of Get ICE out of Minnesota.

We are a hardy bunch. Vice President J.D. Vance, who was in Minnesota yesterday, unknowingly alluded to that when he stated, “We’re seeing only this level of chaos in Minneapolis.” Now I disagree with his word choice of “chaos.” I would use “resistance” instead. But his statement tells me that peaceful protesters, legal observers and anyone (including elected officials) who challenges the federal government spin and ICE actions are getting under his skin and that of other feds. I wonder if Vance considered for a moment that the presence of 3,000 federal agents in Minnesota is unnecessary, horrible, traumatizing, morally wrong and is raising our ire. Nah, probably not.

I’ve participated in multiple protests in Minnesota. I am not a far left agitator, a paid protester or rioter nor are any of the people with whom I’ve protested. We are concerned Americans raising our voices. We are standing up for our neighbors, calling out the federal government and showing that we care about freedom. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2025)

LAUGHABLE STATEMENTS

While here, the vice president called for local and state government officials to “meet these guys (federal immigration agents) half way” per the directive of the president. That’s laughable since Vance didn’t even meet with Governor Tim Walz or Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey while in Minnesota. You’d think he would have and could at least correctly pronounce Frey’s name. Nah, why bother?

During his talk, Vance showed anything but a cooperative spirit. Rather, he blamed—the media for lying, “far left agitators” and “rioters” for causing chaos, elected Minnesota officials and law enforcement for not cooperating, and even the family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos for his detainment. And on and on.

Vance repeatedly stated that ICE action is being taken out of context. Really? He also stated, in answer to a reporter’s question, that the federal government is not trying to send a political message via 3,000 agents sent to Minnesota, but rather trying to enforce the law. Really?

(From the Minnesota Prairie Roots files)

ONWARD WITH GRATITUDE

So onward we go here in Minnesota. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who is staying aware of what is occurring in my beloved state. This could be your city or state next, depending on political leaning. Thank you for standing in solidarity with Minnesotans. Thank you for protesting, for calling your elected officials, for helping your neighbors, for recognizing the threats to our freedom, for showing your humanity in loving words and actions. Your support matters to us in Minnesota. We are grateful.

FYI: I direct you to Minnesota Public Radio as a trusted source for ICE-related and other stories in our state.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

From Minnesota: When “they” take a preschooler January 22, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:47 AM
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From Sahan Journal, coverage of ICE apprehension of a 5-year-old in a northern suburb of Minneapolis. The photo was shared with the media by the Columbia Heights Public School.

ON A DAY when the weather in Minnesota will drop to brutally, dangerously cold, it is not the predicted minus 35-degree wind chill that is chilling my heart. Rather, it is the action of ICE agents in my state.

On Tuesday, agents reportedly took a 5-year-old and his father into custody in the family’s driveway as they were returning home from preschool. They were then flown to Texas, likely detained in a family detention center, according to the family’s attorney.

This is unfathomable to me, that agents of the federal government, who claim to be in Minnesota to find and detain violent criminals—“the worst of the worst”—are now taking our children. Little Liam Conejo Ramos is not the first. And I expect he will not be the last child to be apprehended and held by ICE if this is allowed to continue.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the superintendent of the Columbia Heights Public School shared that ICE has taken three other students in their district. That includes two 17-year-olds and a 10-year-old. They, too, are gone, just like sweet little Liam in the blue bunny ear stocking cap.

This ought to outrage everyone regardless of political affiliation. For kids to be traumatized, taken, imprisoned is wrong on so many levels. It’s bad enough when adults are experiencing this.

Five-year-old Liam could be your child, your grandchild, your neighbor’s child, your child’s classmate, your… Don’t think this could not happen in your state, your community. This is beyond anything that should happen in the United States of America.

FYI: I refer you to two stories about Liam. Click here to read coverage by Minnesota Public Radio. And click here to read a story in Sahan Journal. I recommend both media outlets as great sources of information about what is happening in Minnesota.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Bishop Henry Whipple, the man behind the federal building bearing his name January 16, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
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A mural on the bandshell at Faribault’s Central Park honors Bishop Henry Whipple. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I EXPECT BISHOP HENRY WHIPPLE may be turning over in his grave under the altar inside the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault. He would be appalled by what’s happening in this community with ICE enforcement. And he would also likely be standing side-by-side with protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling protesting ICE’s presence in Minnesota. The federal agents are based inside the building named after him.

Whipple was all about compassion and embracing others, especially as a friend to the Dakota in Minnesota following his arrival here in 1860 and throughout his ministry. He would not be fine with ICE violently, or non-violently, taking people from their vehicles, their homes, clinics, outside schools and churches, inside businesses…and illegally detaining them without due process. That includes those here legally and American citizens imprisoned inside the building bearing Whipple’s honorable name.

I am not OK with this. None of us should be.

HOW BISHOP WHIPPLE MIGHT REACT

As Minnesota continues to deal with the presence of 3,000 ICE agents in our state, I think of the Episcopalian bishop, known as “Straight Tongue” for his honesty, and how he would react. He would assuredly be on the streets advocating for human rights. He would be talking with the current president, just like he did in 1862 with President Abraham Lincoln. Whipple traveled to DC then to personally plead for the lives of 303 Dakota sentenced to death by hanging.

Whipple would probably also be out buying groceries for Faribault residents afraid to leave their homes. He would be walking kids to their bus stops in trailer parks. He would be preaching peace, love and compassion.

HONORING WHIPPLE’S LEGACY

Those who disliked Whipple, and the Dakota, disparagingly tagged the clergyman as “The Sympathizer.” Little has changed. There are far too many in my community who hate, and, yes, that’s a strong word, anyone whose skin color is other than white. I don’t understand. They all, unless they are Native American, can trace their presence in America back to immigrants.

If only Bishop Henry Whipple was still alive to spread love in Faribault and beyond. It’s up to us to honor his legacy by loving and helping our neighbors during these especially dark days of injustice and oppression.

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FYI: To learn more about the bishop, I direct you (click here) to a previous blog post I wrote about him and his role in Minnesota history following a 2023 presentation at the Rice County Historical Society.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Words to Meet the Moment,” an event January 15, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
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(Image sourced online from Content Bookstore, Northfield, Minnesota)

RENEE GOOD, fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on January 7, was an award-winning poet. That is fact. The federal government has flooded Minnesota with thousands of ICE agents. That, too, is fact.

So it seems fitting that “Words to Meet the Moment—A Poetry Event Against Fascism” is set for 2 pm Sunday, January 18, at The Grand Event Center in Northfield. More than 20 poets have already signed up to read their poetry, or that written by others, at this public gathering.

According to organizers (Content Bookstore, The Grand and Northfield area poets), the event is intended to bring the community together in response to recent ICE presence in Northfield and in response to the killing of Renee Good.

There is power in poetry, in the written and spoken word. The arts in general—whether literary, visual or performing—have long been a way to meet the moment. In 2021, for example, the Ramsey County Library published This Was 2020: Minnesotans Write About Pandemics and Social Justice in a Historic Year. That collection of short prose and poetry addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, the justice for George Floyd movement and the overall political climate in our country in 2020. My poem, “Funeral During a Pandemic” was selected for publication in the collection.

While I won’t be available to participate in Sunday’s “Words to Meet the Moment” poetry reading in Northfield, I will be there in spirit. And if I am so inspired, I will work on a poem to submit. That’s an option for those who can’t attend or who don’t want to read.

“Words to Meet the Moment” is about more than just words, though. Event planners are also accepting donations for Northfield Supporting Neighbors, a grassroots organization founded to help meet the needs of local immigrants, especially for legal services.

This marks a moment in time when we can use our words, our hands, our financial resources to make a difference. Or we can do nothing. I choose meeting the moment with strength, courage, hope, action and words.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Protesting in Faribault January 11, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 1:04 PM
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Me with my new friend, Bashir, a U.S. citizen who now carries his passport with him at all times. Bashir works as a family and community engagement specialist in the Faribault Public Schools. (Copyrighted photo by & courtesy of Chloe Kucera, Faribault Daily News)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON, as a raw northwest wind swept down Minnesota State Highway 60, I stood side-by-side with others at a busy intersection in the heart of downtown Faribault. I stood in solidarity over concerns about ICE enforcement locally, across the state and country. I stood in solidarity over concerns about the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7. I stood in solidarity over concerns for our democracy. And I stood in love and support of my neighbors.

Neighbors like Bashir, a long-time Faribault resident whom I met shortly after arriving at the gathering to the sound of bagpipes. My interaction with him nearly broke me emotionally after Bashir reached inside his jacket and pulled out his passport. “I carry this with me everywhere now,” he said. It’s one thing to hear and read about this in media reports. It’s quite another to meet a U.S. citizen “forced” to carry his passport by a president who has publicly stated he wants Somalis out of the country.

My humanity, my compassion, my heart and soul and spirit call upon me to support individuals like my new friend, Bashir, in this moment. My humanity also calls upon me to support the Latino and Hispanic communities who comprised the majority of the 25 or so of us gathered during the quickly-organized protest on Saturday.

Organizer Sonia mingled among us, protesting, passing out hot chocolate and later distributing educational information about Constitutional rights, alerting others to ICE’s presence and more.

The second protest sign I made and which my husband carried. Many at the rally held similar signs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)

ICE IN FARIBAULT

In conversations, I learned that ICE has been especially active in Faribault recently. I’d heard this previously from multiple sources. Protester Travis, who works in the school system, confirmed this, noting that student attendance is down. He watched for ICE vehicles during the rally and had every right to be worried given ICE activity along Lyndale Avenue in Faribault earlier Saturday. That resulted in multiple 911 calls, including one from a caller claiming they were “about to get shot,” according to a media release from Faribault Police Chief John Sherwin. Officers responded to ensure public safety. ICE was there. But no shooting occurred.

We are a state and community on edge following the killing of Renee Good. We are a state and community under incredible stress as the federal government relentlessly targets Minnesota and the people who call this state home. It is unfathomable to think that those of skin tones other than white must fear they will be taken by masked agents. It was not lost on me that I am (at least for now) exempt because I am white.

Another new friend, a young Hispanic woman named Christina, shared how ICE agents are patrolling the Cannon River Mobile Home Park, home to many Hispanics and Latinos. Residents are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being taken by ICE. Doesn’t matter if you are here legally or not.

Protesters line the sidewalk at the intersection of Central Avenue and highway 60. I am hugging Bashir in this image. (Copyrighted photo by & courtesy of Chloe Kucera, Faribault Daily News)

OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE SUPPORT

As I stood with Bashir, Sonia, Travis, Christina, Hannah, a high school senior and a mix of multi-aged Latinos, Hispanics and white people like me, I felt empowered. Our numbers may have been small. But for a last-minute protest and the first in Faribault, turn-out was encouraging.

Even more encouraging was the overwhelmingly positive response we got from passing motorists in honks, friendly waves, thumbs up and more to counter the few middle fingers, thumbs down and venomous words spewed by one especially angry young female driver. How anyone can hold such hate toward immigrants is beyond my understanding.

I felt only love in the presence of my new friends. Many thanked me for coming. I hugged several, offered words of encouragement. Words matter. And so do actions. A Somali couple arrived to distribute hot tea. I’d been protesting for 1 ½ hours and felt chilled to the bone by the estimated zero-degree windchill. That offering of Somali tea warmed my body and my heart. As I reached for a cup of the hot beverage, I was overcome by emotion. The message I carried—“I LOVE my immigrant neighbors”—reflected back on me as I, too, felt loved in that moment.

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NOTE: I moderate all comments on this, my personal blog. I will not publish comments which express hatred or are otherwise offensive, include intentional false information and/or do not meet the standards of decency I expect here.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Reflecting from Minnesota on the killing of Renee Good, wife, mom, writer & poet January 8, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 4:24 PM
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This photo reflects how I am feeling today. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

ALL OF THIS is beyond belief, yet it isn’t.

I texted that to a friend today. “This” refers to the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis on Wednesday morning. The governor of Minnesota, the mayor of Minneapolis, the police chief of Minneapolis all publicly predicted several weeks ago that something like “this” could happen during ICE’s ramped up immigration enforcement here.

I’m not surprised either. Tensions have been building, not only in Minnesota but across the country, as ICE swarms cities and communities. ICE tactics seem unnecessarily aggressive and sometimes violent. I see zero humanity. Zero compassion. Zero care. I wonder about the vetting, the training, the actions, the accountability of these ICE agents.

Now in the aftermath of Renee’s killing, the FBI, which originally agreed to work with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on investigating the fatal shooting, has backtracked. The FBI will be the sole investigator and will not provide any investigative information to the BCA. It is impossible for me to trust the process since, shortly after the shooting, Renee Good was tagged “a domestic terrorist” by the feds. Judgment was already made.

(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

Nothing I’ve read or heard indicates to me that Renee was anything but a wife, mom, writer and poet. Recently-moved to Minneapolis, the 37-year-old was young enough to be my daughter. She had a full life ahead of her.

Because I am also a wife, mom, writer and poet, I relate personally and professionally to Renee. I am grieving the senseless loss of not only a human being, but of another creative. In 2020, Renee won an Academy of American Poets Prize for her poem, “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs.” That’s quite an accomplishment for a then-undergrad at Old Dominion University. She graduated with an English degree in 2020. Today I think of all the poems this poet will never write, all the hugs and kisses this mom will never give to her three children.

A partial quote by Georgia Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, photographed several years ago in Dundas, Minnesota, and fitting for today. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

I appreciate a three-paragraph statement released by Old Dominion President Brian O. Hemphill. It reads in part:

“…May Renee’s life be a reminder of what unites us: freedom, love, and peace. My hope is for compassion, healing, and reflection at a time that is becoming one of the darkest and most uncertain periods in our nation’s history.”

I think, as a creative, that Renee would have appreciated those well-crafted words. I do. In continuing to process this tragedy, I feel uplifted by those of you who have encouraged not only me, but Minnesotans as a whole. Your solidarity, your supportive actions, your caring words all matter while we work through this collective trauma. Thank you.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

When the feds target Minnesota, the state I love, I refuse to remain silent January 7, 2026

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:39 PM
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NOTE: As I was writing this post Wednesday morning, unbeknownst to me, tragedy was unfolding 40 miles away in south Minneapolis. An ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis resident. That is a fact. She was, according to a Minnesota state senator, a legal observer of federal actions. I decided to publish this post as written before learning of Renee’s death. No rewriting or editing. Right now my emotions are raw. I am outraged. I offer no apologies for my feelings.

This sign along I-90 welcomes travelers to Minnesota along the Mississippi River by La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

WITH THE FEDERAL FOCUS on uncovering fraud and on heavy immigration enforcement in Minnesota right now, I’m feeling defensive. I understand that fraud is unacceptable. I, too, have concerns about the seemingly high amount of fraud in my home state. But I will say this. I feel like Minnesota is being unfairly and aggressively targeted on both the fraud and immigration enforcement fronts.

This seems more a personal vendetta by the President against our state than anything. He’s targeted our governor and our Somali community. And I’m not OK with that. Not the actions, not the rhetoric.

I photographed this sign in the window of a downtown Faribault business many years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

THE GOODNESS OF MINNESOTANS

But rather than turn this into a political rant, I want to tell you this: We in Minnesota are, for the most part, good, kind, decent people. The term “Minnesota Nice” is a moniker tagged to those of us who call this place home. It fits. We may live in a cold and snowy state, but we are not cold.

Our generosity shines in strong volunteerism, in supporting others. It also shines in an abundance of nonprofits that assist those in need. For example, one organization is currently heading up a workforce and emergency housing development project in Faribault. Within blocks of my home, I see those buildings rising. An all-volunteer local bookshop sells used books donated by community members. Profits go to the Rice County Area United Way. Local churches house food shelves. Local shelters and centers help those dealing with domestic abuse and violence and substance abuse. The list goes on and on of organizations dedicated to helping those in need.

On a personal level, I know a friend who has taken a man experiencing homelessness out to eat several times. Another friend gave her mittens to an unsheltered man. Two others paid for a bus ticket to Iowa for an individual without a home, per his request to return there. Another is assisting our immigrants as a trained Constitutional observer. These are small acts of kindness and care that go unnoticed, yet are happening throughout my community.

Photographed in my local library in 2024. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

AND THEN COMES ICE

As all of these good things are occurring in Minnesota, so is the negative. And right now that is massive ICE enforcement efforts, including in Faribault with its large Somali and Latino populations. Imagine if you were of either ethnicity, how fearful you would feel. You could be stopped simply because of your skin color, your dress, your spoken language. Grab, detain and ask questions later seems to be the mode of operation for ICE.

Clearly I have sidetracked here. But I offer no apologies for feeling as I do about aggressive ICE actions with agents wrongfully detaining people. I take issue also with elected officials who fail to do anything about this, who fail to protect Constitutional rights, who think this is alright.

The type of ice we like here in Minnesota is the frozen surface of a lake where we angle for fish in the winter. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)

ICE OUT

In closing, I want to reiterate that I love Minnesota (except when winter gets too long). This is a wonderful place to live with its diverse geography, its natural beauty, its diverse residents, its strong arts community, its caring people…

I appreciate the many immigrants who have chosen to call Minnesota home. They make our communities stronger and better in endless ways. Just like my German ancestors who sailed across the Atlantic to America, eventually settling in Minnesota. I hope our newest residents in “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” find a welcoming place to establish roots, to grow a life.

Eventually they may even understand our Minnesota excitement over ice out after a long, cold winter.

© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

“Love your neighbor,” Part I from Northfield November 17, 2025

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 12:14 PM
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Photographed many years ago in downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo used here for illustration only)

MY SUNDAY BEGAN as most Sundays do with morning worship at my church. The sermon highlighted sections of Mark 12, which includes this verse: Love your neighbor as yourself. That would theme the rest of my day.

Hours later I found myself gathered with others for the annual Rice County Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign Kickoff. Again, the focus was on neighbors, specifically helping our neighbors in need.

Shortly after that event, Randy and I were on the road to neighboring Northfield for a 5 pm candlelight prayer vigil at Bridge Square. That, too, was about loving our neighbors. This time the gathering focused on supporting the family of Adan Nunez Gonzalez, a 41-year-old father of four snatched by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at gunpoint on November 11 in a residential neighborhood of Northfield. That incident has sparked outrage in this southern Minnesota college town and beyond.

Several family members and others witnessed Nunez Gonzalez being pulled from the passenger side of a vehicle while he was arriving at a job site along Washington Street. He’s a painter, originally from Mexico, with reportedly no criminal record who has been living in the US for 11 years. The entire incident was captured on video by his teenage son, called to the scene, and has been widely-circulated on social media. Nunez Gonzalez is now being held in the Kandiyohi County Jail. That county is among eight in Minnesota assisting with various aspects of ICE enforcement efforts. My county of Rice is not among them.

Attendees gather at Bridge Square as the candlelight prayer vigil is about to begin. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

HEAVY, YET HOPEFUL, HEARTS

The mood at Sunday’s prayer vigil felt heavy, yet hopeful, as some 200 of us gathered in the town square for this event organized by the Northfield faith community. As the sun set, as the nearby Cannon River roared over the dam, candles were distributed, lit and the crowd pressed together around a monument honoring Civil War soldiers. In late September, football players from Carleton College, blocks away, met here to turn the eagle atop the monument toward their college after defeating across-town rival St. Olaf College. It’s an annual celebratory tradition for the winning team.

Bridge Square has long been a community gathering spot, a place to celebrate, to peacefully protest, to meet one another for local events.

On this mid-November evening, it felt right and necessary to be here. To pray. To sing. To hear scripture quoted. To contemplate the gravity of ICE actions that have traumatized, torn families apart, instilled fear in communities across the country, raised the ire and concerns of many Americans like me who care about our neighbors and how they are being unjustly treated. Taken by armed, masked ICE agents and Border Patrol. Confined. Deported. Without due process of law.

Clergy gather before the start of the prayer vigil. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

A COMMUNITY RESPONDS

I felt the unity of a community determined to raise their voices and to take action. Northfielders have fed the family of their detained neighbor, organized activities for his children, started a GoFundMe to cover legal and other expenses, emailed support, expressed outrage and much more.

Love your neighbor as yourself was emphasized by clergy leading the vigil. One after another they stepped up to the mic, the first pastor leading us in The Lord’s Prayer. One referenced the biblical parable of the mustard seed and how we are to plant seeds of hope, faith, advocacy that will grow sturdy and strong among us. Another spoke of Jesus and his family fleeing to Egypt after his birth following threats from King Herod to find and kill all first-born males. It was fitting.

Another view of the crowd, not all of it, but a section of the attendees. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2025)

A BIBLICAL DIRECTIVE

And then there was the well-known scripture from Matthew 25 in which Jesus asks us to care for one another—when hungry or thirsty, in need of clothing, when sick and in prison. It is as strong a directive as any in the bible to love our neighbors and to show that love in kind, caring and compassionate action.

The 25-minute Sunday evening prayer vigil closed with singing of “This Little Light of Mine.” Voices rose clear and strong in the darkness, arms stretched high, each hand grasping a single candle. A light. Many candles shining lights of support, hope, protest, resistance, outrage and more in a community that cares deeply about its neighbors.

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NOTE: Please check back for a second “Love your neighbor” post, this one on the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign Kickoff. Also, note that the vigil images in this post were taken with my smartphone, thus the quality is not great compared with pix I would have taken with my 35 mm Canon. I left that at home, opting to be in the moment.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling