NEWS: Veterans from Common Defense Call for the Prosecution of ICE Agents

 

On February 5, a 20-foot-long “Prosecute ICE” sculpture made of ice was installed at the Minnesota State Capitol to protest federal immigration operations. The sculpture was created by a local artist and commissioned by veteran-led grassroots organization Common Defense, which paid about $7,000 for the creation and installation. Later that day, it was intended to be moved to a local business for a more permanent display.

However, a few hours after being installed at the Capitol, the ice sculpture was destroyed by January 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang, who had previously been in Minnesota from Florida with intentions to protest Muslims in Minnesota. He recorded his demolition of the sculpture and posted it on social media before being arrested and charged with a felony count of first-degree damage to property. He was held overnight in Ramsey County jail; his court date is set for March 3.

Founded in 2016, Common Defense is a veteran-led grassroots organization focused on protecting democracy, combating authoritarianism and advancing equity, justice, and shared power. The group has more than 500,000 members nationwide. Woman veterans from the organization have participated in campaigns related to voting rights, national security, military accountability, and veterans’ healthcare.

Several speakers offered comments at the February 5 unveiling of the “Prosecute ICE” ice sculpture. One of them was Jacob Thomas, communications director for Common Defense, served eight years in the U.S. Air Force, after growing up in Georgia. He volunteered in 2012 on the Minnesotans United for All Families Vote No campaign — related to defeating a Republican measure to ban LGBTQ+ marriage in Minnesota. He said the experience sparked a lasting connection to the state.

“I really saw in this state, and particularly in the city of Minneapolis, a place where people were fighting for each other and not against each other,” Thomas said. “That was a really refreshing thing to see.”

After completing his military service in 2014, Thomas moved to Minnesota, because he respected the state’s values. Those values, he said, are now driving his resistance to what he and Common Defense describe as federal overreach.

“Those values are the exact reasons that we’re seeing so many Minnesotans stand up and fight back against this federal occupation,” Thomas said. “People from different backgrounds, origins, and religions are coming together to say no and take care of each other.”

In regards to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, he added: “If ICE is designed to kill our neighbors in the streets and abduct our neighbors, then there’s no redeeming that agency. We need to hold people responsible for these atrocities.”

As a veteran-led organization, Thomas said Common Defense places particular emphasis on constitutional responsibility. “As veterans and military family members, we care deeply about the Constitution and the oath we took to protect and defend it. We swear an oath to the Constitution, not to the president. … From a moral standpoint, veterans feel a particular responsibility to speak out when we see human rights violations and abuses of power.”

Common Defense plans to install another sculpture in the future. “We will push forward and continue the work of protecting our neighbors and defending democracy,” Thomas said.

 

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