“My fellow Minnesotans:
“What’s happening in Minnesota right now defies belief.
“News reports simply don’t do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down upon our communities.
“Two to three thousand armed agents of the federal government have been deployed to Minnesota.
“Armed, masked, undertrained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live.
“They’re pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens, and demanding to see their papers.
“And at grocery stores, at bus stops, even at schools, they’re breaking windows, dragging pregnant women down the street, just plain grabbing Minnesotans and shoving them into unmarked vans, kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.
“Let’s be very, very clear: This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement.
“Instead, it is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.
“Last week, that campaign claimed the life of Renee Nicole Good.
“We’ve all watched the video.
“We all have seen what happened.
“And yet, instead of conducting an impartial investigation so we can hold accountable the officer responsible for Renee’s death, the Trump administration is devoting the full power of the federal government to finding an excuse to attack the victim and her family.
“Just yesterday, six federal prosecutors – including the longtime career prosecutor leading the charge to investigate and eliminate fraud in our state’s programs – quit their jobs rather than go along with this assault on the United States Constitution.
“But as bad as it’s been, Donald Trump intends for it to get worse.
“This week, he went online to promise that, quote, “the day of retribution and reckoning is coming.”
“That is a direct threat against the people of this state, who dared to vote against him three times, and who continue to stand up for freedom with courage and empathy and profound grace.
“All across Minnesota, people are stepping up to help neighbors who are being unjustly, and unlawfully, targeted.
“They’re distributing care packages and walking kids to school and raising their voices in peaceful protest even though doing so has made many of our fellow Minnesotans targets for violent retribution.
“Folks, I know this is scary.
“And I know it’s absurd that we all have to be defending law and order, justice, and humanity while also caring for our families and doing our jobs.
“So, tonight, let me say, once again, to Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: End this occupation.
“You’ve done enough.
“Let me say four critical things to the people of Minnesota – four things I need you to hear as you watch the news and look out for your neighbors.
“First: Donald Trump wants chaos.
“He wants confusion.
“And, yes, he wants more violence on our streets.
“We cannot give him what he wants.
“We can – we must – protest: loudly, urgently, but also peacefully.
“Indeed, as hard as we will fight in the courts and at the ballot box, we cannot, and will not, let violence prevail.
“You’re angry.
“I’m angry.
“Angry might not be strong enough of a word.
“But we must remain peaceful.
“Second: You are not powerless.
“You are not helpless.
“And you are not alone.
“All across Minnesota, people are learning about opportunities not just to resist, but to help people who are in danger.
“Thousands upon thousands of Minnesotans are going to be relying on mutual aid in the days and weeks to come, and they need our support.
“Tonight, I want to share another way you can help: Witness.
“Help us establish a record of exactly what’s happening in our communities.
“You have an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents as they conduct their activities.
“So carry your phone with you at all times.
“And if you see ICE in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record.
“Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans – not just to establish a record for posterity, but to bank evidence for future prosecution.
“That’s the third thing I want to tell you tonight: We will not have to live like this forever.
“Accountability is coming, at the voting booth and in court.
“We will reclaim our communities from Donald Trump.
“We will re-establish a sense of safety for our neighbors.
“We will bring an end to this moment of chaos and confusion.
“We will find a way to move forward – together.
“And we will not be alone.
“Every day, we are working with business leaders, faith leaders, legal experts, and elected officials from all across the country.
“They have seen what Donald Trump is trying to do to our state.
“They know their states could be next.
“And that brings me to the fourth thing I want to tell you tonight. Minnesota, I’m so proud of the way we’ve risen to meet this unbearable moment.
“But I’m not surprised.
“Because this – this is who we are.
“Minnesotans believe in the rule of law.
“And Minnesotans believe in the dignity of all people.
“We’re a place where there’s room for everybody, no matter who you are or who you love or where you came from.
“A place where we feed our kids, take care of our neighbors, and look out for those in the shadows of life.
“We’re an island of decency in a country being driven towards cruelty.
“We will remain an island of decency, of justice, of community, of peace.
“And, tonight, I come before you simply to ask: Do not let anyone take that away from us.
“Thank you.
“Protect each other
“And God bless the people of Minnesota.”