Whistles Become Warning System As ICE Steps Up Operations In Minneapolis

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis are now often heard before they are seen. As federal immigration agents move through neighbourhoods, protesters and residents respond with sharp, piercing whistles. 

The whistles have become a common tool for activists and concerned residents during what the Trump administration has described as the largest federal immigration enforcement effort ever. Protesters use whistles as a quick and simple way to warn others when immigration agents are nearby.

Short whistle blasts mean ICE agents have been spotted in the area. Long, repeated whistle sounds mean someone is being detained. The idea has spread. 

In cities like Chicago, New York, Portland, Los Angeles and Milwaukee, groups have handed out whistles and taught people how to use them. In Chicago, activists have even held "whistle parties," according to reports.

Similar whistle alerts were used last year in Chicago and Los Angeles, where activists responded to immigration raids the same way. Since December, women's sports pub A Bar of Their Own in the Seward neighbourhood has handed out more than 1,500 whistles, according to owner Jillian Hiscock.

People have been opposing ICE raids in different ways. Last week, state and city lawmakers held a news conference on ICE's activities at City Hall, where City Council President Elliott Payne and state Senator Doron Clark wore bright red whistles around their necks, according to The Guardian.

They have also attracted backlash from the political right, as some conservative commentators call whistle-blowing dangerous and harmful. They argue that the high-pitched noise can damage hearing and disrupt law enforcement operations.

Referring to women at the scene of Alex Pretti's killing, right-wing streamer Steven Crowder said, "Those women absolutely went out of their way to cross the street and arguably commit assault against the officers with whistles in their ears."

Another conservative figure, Mike Cernovich, said whistles should be considered a "violent weapon."

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded publicly, saying that ICE officers are trained to handle difficult situations, so whistles and noise do not stop their work. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that officers who face protests, threats, or chaos are not intimidated by whistles or loud sounds.

At the same time, authorities warned that physically blocking officers or interfering with immigration arrests is illegal and could lead to charges such as obstruction of justice.