Opinion editor's note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

Recently, news outlets have focused on Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was torn from his family and incarcerated in El Salvador due to an "administrative error." But his is just one story among many.

Just last month, a mother and her three children were taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from a dairy farm in New York to a detention facility in Texas 1,800 miles away. The family was taken from their home after ICE came to their door, looking for another suspected criminal. A school community was left reeling as the local principal wrote of the missing students that "they are not criminals, they have no ties to any criminal activity, they are loved in their classrooms."

It seems like every day we hear these heartbreaking stories of beloved community members "disappeared." During this second Trump administration, we have seen our government and legal systems used in new ways. We are accustomed to thinking of these times as unprecedented. But in the context of the stories of Abrego Garcia, or the mother and children at the farm, there is a dark precedent for attacking immigrant communities, and we must acknowledge this lamentable history so as not to repeat it.

As elected officials whose families all came to this country looking for a better life — be it one generation ago or four — we know this deeply. Whether from Mexico, Somalia or Japan, our families crossed oceans and borders in search of the American dream, and our election certificates and seats in the halls of power are a testament to that enduring commitment and possibility.

We also know intimately that scapegoating whichever immigrant group is out of favor at the current political moment runs deep in the veins of our country. Each of our communities has felt this, whether it was the Japanese Americans imprisoned in internment camps during World War II, Muslims scapegoated after 9/11, or our Latinx neighbors today who are being "disappeared" with no regard for the law or due process.

Our laws reflect and reinforce this fear and distrust of immigrants. The antiquated Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 gives the president the power to target foreign nationals of an enemy nation during wartime without due process. During World War II, the AEA was used to detain the Japanese, falsely claiming they were a threat to national security. This is a permanent stain on our nation's history, and one that we should be adamant to never repeat. Yet the AEA remains in effect to this day.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has used this law and the power of the executive branch to unlawfully detain and deport our immigrant neighbors. The Supreme Court has recently issued a ruling to halt this type of unlawful detention, but Congress must act to take this dangerous law off the books and pass the Neighbors not Enemies Act (introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the authors of this article), which would repeal the AEA.

Every level of government should be using all the tools they have to ring the alarm and stop the attacks. At the state level, we can resist the GOP attempts to roll back the progress we made in the 2023 session in protecting and including our immigrant communities through driver's licenses for all, the North Star Promise Act (free college), or inclusion in the state health care program. At the city level, we can promote economic opportunities for immigrant communities through policies like the new vendor ordinance that legalizes and expands street food vending, and fund immigration legal services to protect our community.

We are writing to remind all Minnesotans: If it's my people today, it's your people tomorrow. As long as these antiquated laws are on the books, any group can be targeted in times of fear.

Beyond the law, we must remember that in Minnesota we have always been leaders in welcoming immigrants. During World War II, we were one of the only states to host Japanese American translators who helped our military. Our Lutheran communities have remembered their persecution as Swedish immigrants and long been leaders in hosting refugee families from around the world.

Let's demonstrate our commitment to these values in times that feel unprecedented — a compassionate approach to immigration is an engine of innovation and prosperity for everyone.

Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, represents Minnesota's Fifth District in the U.S. House. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, is a member of the Minnesota House. Jason Chavez represents Ward 9 on the Minneapolis City Council.