Covering the Minneapolis ICE Surge for The New York Times
- Ben Garvin
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
For six weeks, I worked as an independent video journalist with The New York Times covering the Minneapolis ICE surge, documenting federal immigration enforcement across the city in January and February 2026.
Looking back, I wish I had written about this work sooner. Even now, watching these videos reminds me of the anxiety and fear so many people in our community experienced.
I also recognize that my experience was very different from many of the people we met. As a white man, I never truly felt unsafe. Many of our Hispanic and Somali neighbors continue to live with fear, uncertainty, or the absence of loved ones who were detained or deported.
The Times called to put me on contract about an hour after Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis. A couple of hours later, I heard whistles and sirens outside my studio and grabbed my cameras.
Just a half block north, outside Roosevelt High School, federal agents had ended a vehicle pursuit. The scene was chaotic. Students were heading out of the building while masked federal agents met them in the street and on school property. I remember trying to document as much as I could before stopping for a moment to process what I was seeing. My own kids attend Roosevelt, and my wife teaches music there and this moment in our city was scary and traumautizing for so many people I know. It suddenly felt personal and overwhelming and also just very sad.
Working with the Times gave me a window into an institution I've long admired, and it was so fascinating to learn a bit about how they operate. I was paired with producers whose persistence, reporting and attention to detail continually impressed me. Every interview, every timeline and every fact was carefully verified. Behind each finished video were SO MANY phone calls, interviews, multiple edits and many rounds of fact-checking.
My job was to gather pictures and sound in fast-moving environments, but these stories were the result of a deeply collaborative effort involving reporters, producers, editors, visual journalists and safety teams. From my first day on contract, the Times equipped me with a gas mask, helmet and protective vest, monitored my location in the field and made sure I received the same attention to safety as staff journalists. It was a such a good reminder that great journalism depends on taking care of the people producing it.
Below are four of the stories I shot with various producers, along with a short iPhone clip I shot when responding to the shooting of Alex Pretti. I'm truly grateful to the people who trusted us to tell their stories and were brave enough to go on camera during such a terrifying time. Below are four of New York Times video stories I filmed.
Violence at a Minneapolis School Hours After ICE Shooting.
As Minneapolis reels in the aftermath of a fatal shooting, the city shuts down its public schools following a violent confrontation between federal agents and civilians at a local high school.
Their Mother Was Detained. Now a Minneapolis Family Lives in Fear.
After a Minneapolis woman was arrested by ICE agents, the children she left behind face an uncertain future. In the days following their mother’s detainment, the oldest daughter spoke to The New York Times.
Pregnant Women in Minneapolis Hiding From ICE Face Impossible Choice
Health care providers across Minnesota have reported federal immigration agents present in and around medical centers. As arrests continue across the state, expecting mothers are afraid to go to their appointments — and reconsidering their birth plans.
Why Ice Raids in Minneapolis Are Driving Up Demands for Guns.
Gun permit applications have surged in Minnesota since ICE raids began across the state in December. After weeks of protests and violent confrontations that led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, we traveled to Minneapolis to speak to some of the new gun owners choosing to exercise their right to bear arms.
iPhone video from the day Pretti was shot.
I was planning a day off when I got a call from the Times desk there had been another shooting. They asked me to shoot on my phone so I could transmit quickly from the field.
Ben Garvin is a duPont-Columbia Award–winning documentary filmmaker and video journalist based in Minneapolis. His work has appeared in The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, and VICE News among others.
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