USA (MNN) — Ongoing developments in Minneapolis fuel public debate over immigration enforcement in the United States.
Hutchcraft Ministries’ Doug Hutchcraft says, “It’s a big deal because most people know someone [who] is affected by this.”
The Department of Homeland Security is now implementing body cameras following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens last month by federal agents. Tensions escalated quickly from local resistance to statewide protests and interference with law enforcement after the shootings.
Meanwhile, anti-ICE protests continue. Residents in south Minneapolis have set up a blockade to prevent agents from entering their neighborhood.
Graffiti on the window of a now-closed Pizza Shark pizza shop on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis on January 19, 2026.
(Chad Davis, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
“There’s so much in the headlines that is making people anxious and angry,” Hutchcraft says.
“It seems like the loudest voices, when it comes to the immigration debate, are the most extreme ones.”
Focus on Jesus, not politics
Many Christians wonder how to enter the highly politicized conversation. Hutchcraft recommends the advice offered in Ecclesiastes 7:16 about avoiding extremes.
“You don’t have to fall for the lie that you’ve got to operate with one extreme or another,” he says.
“You can be Christ’s ambassador and believe that what the law says about things like immigration is important, while still feeling love and compassion towards someone who may not have gotten here legally from a different country.”
Instead of discussing political talking points, Hutchcraft encourages believers to look for Gospel opportunities.
“There are so many different ways – depending on what questions a person asks – to get into a conversation about Jesus from the immigration debate,” Hutchcraft says.
“Start with knowing God’s Word, and especially what His Word has to say about what’s going on in the news.”
Pray all the way
(Photo by Moe Magners/Pexels)
Ask the Lord to help you be His representative when discussing current events. For more insight, listen to Hutchcraft Ministries’ latest “Go MAD” podcast.
“When you’re a follower of Jesus, people are listening to what you have to say, what you think about these things,” Hutchcraft says.
Pray the “three open” prayer as you enter into dialogue. “Lord, open their heart, open a door, open my mouth,” Hutchcraft says.
“This is what we’re praying for: someone who we want to have a relationship with Jesus. Those doors (opportunities) are everywhere.”
Header image depicts Commander of Operations at Large Gregory Bovino and Acting Associate Director Marcos Charles of ICE-ERO give a press conference at Minneapolis, Minn., Jan 25, 2026. (CBP Photography, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
