Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read | 21 January 2026

Anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis have ramped up after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent on 7 January. (Image/Reuters)

Urgent concerns are mounting in the United States following fresh allegations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has evolved into a militarised force operating beyond meaningful accountability, prompting renewed calls for the agency to be disbanded.

Speaking on Radio Islam International, Metro Washington-based human rights advocate and Afia Foundation operations director Mauri Salakhan described ICE in stark terms, warning that the agency “operates outside the law” and no longer upholds constitutional protections. “It is not an organisation that enforces in a respectful way within the limits of the constitution,” he said, adding that ICE now functions “almost like a private militia force for one of the most repressive political organisations of my lifetime.”

Salakhan alleged that under the Trump administration, ICE has acted with increasing impunity, targeting immigrant communities while eroding civil liberties. Although exact deportation figures remain unclear, he said the scale of operations is “quite significant”, particularly in the state of Minnesota, which he described as a “test case” for how far the agency can go without consequence.

“If they are able to get away with what they have been doing in the state of Minnesota then it’s going to be open season for the rest of the country,” he warned.

He revealed that an estimated 3 000 ICE operatives are currently deployed in the greater Minneapolis area a figure that reportedly exceeds the combined strength of local police departments. “They greatly outnumber the police department and in fact the police departments combined,” Salakhan said, adding that even local law enforcement now feels “under siege”.

Describing conditions on the streets as “heartbreaking”, Salakhan pointed to troubling encounters between ICE agents and civilians, including the interrogation of an off-duty female police officer. He said she was treated “in a very disrespectful way” and only released after identifying herself, without even receiving an apology.

Public outrage has intensified following the fatal shooting of a civilian, Renee Good, by an ICE officer who has not been held accountable. Salakhan said the incident has struck a nerve nationwide. “This was a white woman shot deliberately in the face by an ICE officer,” he said. “If they can do this to a white woman and get away with it, it’s open season on everyone else.”

Demonstrations have since erupted across the United States, with growing calls for reform and accountability. Salakhan said his organisation is mobilising communities in line with Islamic principles of justice. Quoting the Qur’an, he urged people to “stand firmly for justice even if it be against yourselves,” and to resist oppression with both voice and action.

“We call ourselves the land of liberty and justice for all,” he said. “We are far from it today.”

As scrutiny intensifies, pressure continues to mount on US authorities to restore oversight, protect civil rights and confront what critics warn is a dangerous drift toward authoritarian enforcement.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Habib Bobat and Mauri Salakhan.