>> ERIC: OPERATION METRO SURGE STARTED BACK IN DECEMBER AND DURING THE FEDERAL OPERATION, INTEREST HAS BALLOONED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL OBSERVER TRAINING.

THAT'S BEEN THE CASE FOR THE IMMIGRANT DEFENSE NETWORK, A MINNESOTA-BASED COALITION OF IMMIGRANT, COMMUNITY, AND LEGAL ORGANIZATIONS.

THEIR FOCUS INCLUDES CONSTITUTIONAL OBSERVING, AND THEY'VE BEEN TOURING THE MIDWEST WITH TRAINING SESSIONS.

THEY WERE IN AITKIN, MINNESOTA YESTERDAY, AND THE MANAGER OF IMMIGRANT DEFENSE NETWORK IS HERE NOW, EDWIN TORRES DESANTIAGO.

WHAT MAKES UP THE TRAINING?

>> YEAH.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

WE'VE BEEN TOURING THE ENTIRE MIDWEST, FROM WISCONSIN, LA CROSSE, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN IOWA, ALL OVER MINNESOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA.

THE TRAINING IS A KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAINING, BUT ALSO WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A FEDERAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY, WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE BEING DETAINED, WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS TO OBSERVE THOSE ENFORCEMENTS.

>> Cathy: AND 30,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRAINED?

>> THAT'S JUST IN OUR NETWORK.

OUR FIRST TRAINING WAS ON FEBRUARY 2nd, 2025, SO OVER A YEAR.

TO DATE WE'VE DONE 82 TRAININGS ALL OVER THE STATE.

WE NOW HAVE A TRAINED OBSERVER IN 82 COUNTIES OUT OF THE 87.

>> Eric: WHO'S PAYING FOR THE OPERATION?

>> A LOT OF IT IS INDIVIDUAL DONORS.

PEOPLE DONATING TO THE NETWORK.

A LOT OF PARTNERS ARE SHOWING UP.

THEIR NETWORK S OVER 110 ORGANIZATIONS COMING TOGETHER FOR A SHARED PURPOSE AND INTEREST TO DEFEND OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WITH THE SHOOTING DEATHS OF RENEE GOOD AND ALEX PRETTI, I'M WONDERING, ARE YOU HEARING FROM ANY OF THE OBSERVERS THAT THIS MIGHT BE JUST TOO MUCH FOR THEM, THAT THIS WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE NOT BARGAINING FOR?

>> SO IN THE TRAINING, IT'S LIKE A THREE-HOUR TRAINING, ONLY BECAUSE YOU SIGN UP TO BE PART OF THE TRAINING, YOU GO THROUGH THE TRAINING, IT DOESN'T EAN YOU CTUALLY REGISTER TO BE A TRAINED OBSERVER, YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO THAT AFTER THE LONG TRAINING, WE SAW A MASSIVE SPIKE AFTER THE KILLING OF RENEE GOOD, WITHIN 24 HOURS WE HAD NEARLY 10,000 SIGN-UPS OF NEIGHBORS WANTING TO BE TRAINED ALL OVER THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

SO WE STARTED DOING TRAININGS PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE DAY, WITH PARTNERS.

AND I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT THE NUMBER'S MUCH MUCH BIGGER IF YOU INCLUDE EVERY SINGLE PARTNER IN THIS FIGHT.

WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES, AND MANY OTHER GROUPS ARE ALSO DOING KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAINING.

>> Cathy: PARTS OF THE TRAINING, OF COURSE, MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE VIDEOS THAT HAVE BEEN SHOT, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: SO TALK ABOUT THE KEY NATURE OF HAVING PEOPLE RECORD EVERYTHING.

>> YEAH.

WELL, THE FRAMEWORK, IT'S KIND OF LIKE FOUR PILLARS.

YES, IT'S ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY.

VERY QUICKLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTED TO PAINT ALEX PRETTI AS A DOMESTIC TERRORIST.

IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

WE HAVE SO MANY CAMERAS AND ANGLES THAT THEY WALKED BACK THOSE SENTIMENTS AND THOSE STATEMENTS.

SO PART OF IT IS ACCOUNTABILITY, RIGHT?

JUST LIKE PRESS HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBSERVE IN ANY SITUATION, CONSTITUTIONAL OBSERVERS ALSO HAVE THE SAME 'CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO OBSERVE.

NUMBER TWO, WE ALSO CONNECT AND HELP WITH PEOPLE BEING DETAINED WITH HOW THEY WERE DETAINED, WAS THERE ATTORNEYS, SO THEY CAN HAVE A LEGAL PROOF WHEN THEY GO TO THEIR HEARINGS IF THEY HAVE AN IMMIGRATION HEARING.

THIRD, WE HELP GIVE A LOT OF OUR LEGAL PARTNERS, WHETHER IT IS ACLU, MINNESOTA ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, OR MANY FOLKS, ACCESS TO SOME OF OUR INFORMATION SO THEY CAN POTENTIALLY BRING LAWSUITS FOR VIOLATIONS OF CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.

THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING.

>> Eric: WHAT TYPICAL QUESTIONS DO YOU GET FROM FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE?

WHAT ARE THEIR CONCERNS?

>> WE HEAR EVERYTHING.

HOW CAN THEY GET WAY FROM THIS?

HOW CAN THEY EVEN DO THIS?

IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?

CAN THEY JUST BE REGULAR CIVILIAN CLOTHING AND KIDNAP SOMEONE?

DO THEY NOT HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO PRESENT WHO THEY'RE WITH OR SHOW AN ID OR SHOW A WARRANT?

THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING.

THIS IS CHAOTIC.

IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

AND PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.

THEY'RE SEEING WARRANTLESS ENTRIES, THEY'RE SEEING KIDS BEING PICKED UP, THEY'RE SEEING LITTLE BABIES BEING USED AS BAIT.

THEY'RE SEEING FOLKS BREAKING INTO APARTMENT COMPLEXES.

THEY KNOW THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

>> Cathy: I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU.

YOU MENTIONED THAT FOLKS ARE BEING TRAINED TO OBSERVE THE SITUATION.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Cathy: RIGHT?

WHERE'S THE LINE BETWEEN OBSERVING AND OBSTRUCTING THE AGENTS, AS YOU'VE HEARD TOM HOMAN TALK ABOUT THAT?

>> RIGHT.

OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OBSERVERS ARE TRAINED NOT TO OBSTRUCT.

THEY'RE NOT THERE TO OBSTRUCT.

THE IDEA THAT IF WE GIVE EDWIN ANOTHER FIVE MORE MINUTES TO RUN, THAT'S NOT TRUE.

IF THEY WANT TO GET EDWIN, THEY'LL GET EDWIN.

I WANT PEOPLE TO OBSERVE HOW EDWIN WAS TAKEN.

HELP EDWIN KNOW THEIR RIGHTS.

OBSTRUCTING LITERALLY ONLY MAKES IT WORSE FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE GETTING DETAINED.

>> Cathy: I KNOW WE HAVE TO GO TO THE NEXT SEGMENT, BUT I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS, EDWIN, I LISTENED TO YOU ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO IN THE MORNING, AND YOU WERE TALKING WITH MY COLLEAGUES THERE, AND YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE THE PRODUCT OF THE FAILED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.

>> I AM.

>> Cathy: SO THIS IS PERSONAL FOR YOU.

>> FOR 25 YEARS, I WAS UNDOCUMENTED.

I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT BE WANTED BY THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT I'VE LOVED, AND I AM DAMN PROUD, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN SAY THAT, BUT I'M VERY PROUD TO BE A MINNESOTAN, AND FOR THE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE COMING OUT TO HELP DEFEND AND PROTECT NOT ONLY MY RIGHTS, THEIR RIGHTS, AND OUR CONSTITUTION.

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