BISHOP BARRON: Minnesota’s crises demand real change, not more division
As a resident of Minnesota and as the bishop of the diocese of Winona-Rochester, I’ve been just heartbroken about the present situation in my home state. We seem to be lurching from crisis to crisis, with little hope of resolution. The atmosphere is thick with corruption, violence, threats of retribution, angry shouting and scapegoating.
The two outrages that dominate are, of course, the massive institutional corruption that has been revealed over the last several months and the recent incursion of ICE agents that has inspired passionate protest. I will address the latter issue in due course, and I am reluctant to permit it to distract attention from the first.
It appears certain that hundreds of millions of dollars have been siphoned from the taxpayers of Minnesota through one of the greatest public frauds ever perpetrated in our country. Enormous amounts of money were directed to phony front organizations and then to fraudsters both inside Minnesota and outside the country. One of the most disturbing features of this episode is that a journalist, Christopher F. Rufo, and Nick Shirley, an independent investigative reporter, broke the case by doing what ordinary inspectors and public officials in the state should have been doing for years: simply verifying where the money was going.
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I realize that, to some, this kind of financial malfeasance can seem a relatively harmless "white-collar" crime, but nothing could be further from the truth. Catholic social teaching is adamant that public corruption constitutes a grave threat to society and especially to the poor. It undermines confidence in our leaders and the political process, compromises the integrity of the institutions of government and subverts the rule of law. Even more importantly, it deeply harms those most in need, effectively stealing resources from them and blocking essential services such as health care and education.
Moreover, if the kind of fraud on display in Minnesota is discovered in other states as well, we are dealing with an astonishing violation of human rights and an attack on the needy. I would sincerely hope that opposition to this sort of evil should not be a matter of partisan politics. I see no reason why Democrats, Republicans, independents and progressives shouldn’t stand shoulder to shoulder in confronting this corruption.
Alas, Minnesota’s turmoil does not end with financial scandal alone. The tragic shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent during a federal immigration enforcement operation — and the ensuing protests and clashes between demonstrators, local officials and federal agents — has heightened tensions and brought yet another crisis to the forefront of public life in our state.
The situation is being driven by a volatile mix of illegal immigrants, political leaders, protesters and federal agents all colliding in the same small space at the same time. In response to the crisis prompted by the arrival of ICE agents in large numbers in Minnesota, might I make some simple suggestions?
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First, along with my brother bishops, I strongly defend our nation’s right to maintain the border and to enforce immigration regulations. I do not subscribe to the effectively open border policy that held sway during the Biden administration. But, at the same time, I think that ICE operations should be limited to rounding up only undocumented people who have committed serious crimes. I understand that anyone who has entered the country without documentation has committed a crime, but I believe that ICE raids against such people are simply too blunt an instrument.
The status of illegal immigrants who have lived productively and peacefully in our country for many years should be a matter for political adjudication and not aggressive police action. The riots in Minneapolis and elsewhere in the country prove that the American people are ill at ease with the present policy.
At the same time, I would urge the political leadership in the state of Minnesota to stop stirring up resentment against federal officers who are endeavoring to enforce the laws of our country. The comparison of these oft-beleaguered individuals to Nazis and fascists and Gestapo agents is morally heinous and directly productive of violence. I was particularly appalled when the mayor of Minneapolis suggested that the municipal police ought to fight ICE agents and when the governor of Minnesota urged ordinary citizens to warn their neighbors of the presence of ICE agents and to film their "atrocities." All such rhetoric is utterly contraindicated.
I would add this as well: These operations are made far more chaotic because Minnesota and Minneapolis officials refuse to share information with federal law enforcement and refuse to support ICE operations by doing such basic things as crowd control and arresting or moving people who try to box in ICE agents. If local authorities had done their duty in this regard, the likelihood of dangerous face-to-face confrontations would have been significantly diminished.
Similarly, though I am in no position to adjudicate every tactical decision, ICE agents should follow established protocol and not stand in front of a running vehicle. Finally, though I strongly support the right to engage in peaceful public protest, I urge protesters not to interfere directly with the work of ICE officials. Speaking one’s mind is one thing, but getting in the way of police vehicles or inserting oneself in situations where armed officers are present is inviting tragedy.
Everyone on all sides of this issue must stop shouting at one another and demonizing their opponents. Vigorous public conversation and honest debate are essential features of our democracy. Vitriol, scapegoating, insults, and impugning of motives are not. We quickly have to make some changes because where we are right now in Minnesota is untenable.