Q&A: Jordan Thompson on ICE Raids in Minneapolis: 'I Couldn't Be Silent on This'
Jordan Thompson has been open about using her platform to speak out on issues that matter to her, including the increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through social media posts and public actions, Thompson is raising awareness surrounding the impact of immigration enforcement on local communities. She draws from her and her loved ones’ experiences and what she has witnessed firsthand.
Athletes Unlimited reporter Siera Jones spoke with Thompson about why she chose to be vocal, how she approaches advocacy as a professional athlete, and what it means to use her platform in sports to raise conversations that extend beyond the court.
Jones: What made you feel ready to speak about this issue publicly?
Thompson: I think just because it hits so close to home. I think there have been a lot of times where I’ve felt I want to use my voice and I want to speak out for people who maybe don’t have a voice at the moment or feel safe to do so. I think there have been times in the past where I just didn’t necessarily know how to approach it, or I was thinking, “I don’t know, I want this to come off the right way.” And this time, I was just thinking, “I don’t care how it comes off.” People will know my heart, and especially the people who know me, and I just felt I couldn’t be silent on this, having it be in my hometown, having it impact so many people.
I’m hearing stories from my brother and my sister … My brother actually works at one of the restaurants that was targeted by ICE, and they tried to basically raid the place, but they weren’t able to get in … and hearing that my little sister’s friends are carrying around their documents because they’re scared, and they’re U.S. citizens, and it’s just because a target has been put on their back. And I’m thinking, there are kids who are terrified, and it’s just, it’s not fair.
And for the people who are in the states illegally, I don’t really care. For me, I’m just thinking, you wanted to come here and make a better life for yourself and your family. I applaud you, because you’re being brave and working harder than probably a lot of people who were born here. And to punish people for coming to a country when this whole country was built off of slaves and immigrants–it feels really hypocritical. … I was really fed up, because there’s a lot of misinformation. There’s a lot of people not believing what’s going on and what’s really happening on the ground, and people’s voices are being silenced. And I felt I have a platform and I need to use it.
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Q: When you think about your platform as a professional athlete, what responsibility, if any, do you feel?
Thompson: I think a lot of times, athletes are told, “Oh, just stop talking. Keep politics out of it. Shut up and just play your game.” And it’s so funny because, as a female athlete, the only reason I’m even able to play my sport professionally is because people were protesting and advocating for women’s rights. And so I think that’s pretty funny to think about.
I have had people try to tell me, “Politics aren’t your thing.” And I’m thinking, no, human rights are very much my thing. And if that is moving into a political side of things, then so be it. I think there is this almost responsibility, because I do want the message that I put out there to be very thoughtful and intentional.
I think it’s really easy to have all this frustration and anger and sadness and want to just put that out there in a very raw way. … And so I think there’s a balance between that. I really want people to know how strongly I feel about this, and at the same time, I want to do it in a thoughtful way, if that makes sense.
The reason I have a platform is because of volleyball, and I now have a choice to use that platform the way that I see fit. And so I think having that platform and having an audience, the message will get out there, and I’m able to kind of really try to amplify other voices and other perspectives, and just help get the message out there by utilizing my platform.
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Q: For people who don’t understand the full context, what do you wish they would understand about what’s going on in Minneapolis?
Thompson: I wish that people knew that, I would say, the vast majority of people who are protesting are protesting for basic human rights. And I think there’s a lot of buzzwords that are being thrown out there right now which are easy to latch on to. … I wish that people paid more attention to the stories that are coming from the individuals on the ground in Minnesota who are there protesting, and I wish that we were able to just believe the vast majority of protesters when they’re saying that it is peaceful, and a lot of the aggression is coming from ICE agents. And I experienced that firsthand myself.
I don’t know that I’ve seen a more peaceful protest than the one I was at, to the point where there was a lawyer who actually had clients that were being held in the detention center in Minneapolis, that we were protesting outside of, and he was pleading with the agents, saying, “It’s not too late to do the right thing. You guys took an oath to protect this democracy and its people, and you guys are mistreating people and ripping families apart and just inflicting violence upon people, and it’s for no reason. It’s unjustified.” … And it’s just scary, because one minute, we’re peacefully protesting, and there’s no aggression coming from the protesters. We’re just exercising our First Amendment right. And then the next thing you know, you’re having flash bangs thrown at you, and two groups of officers are running towards you with guns. And it felt to me like they were trying to intimidate us, that they didn’t want us there, of course. And that is scary.
If your own government is trying to intimidate you, they don’t want you speaking up on things; we are kind of losing the plot. This is supposed to be a democracy. We’re supposed to have constitutional rights, and those are being violated every single day in Minneapolis, and it’s really scary. … And I’m hopeful, because there are so many people who are advocating for, in my eyes, the right things, and I hope that those voices can be louder than the ones that want to violate rights and take away rights and not treat human beings with dignity and respect.
Q: You shared on social media that moment when they threw flash bangs at you. What was it like to go from hearing about and watching events on social media to being directly impacted by them?
Thompson: It was really weird because, again, you see it on social media. I had seen the video of the restaurant my brother works at in Minneapolis, and the ICE agents trying to break in and then throwing tear gas. This is kind of their whole M.O. of intimidation and using force against people who aren’t being “professional agitators,” or whatever you want to call it.
My stepmom thought they were shooting at us because of the explosions that were going off. She didn’t know. She thought those were gunshots. … That’s just not a normal everyday experience for American civilians using their First Amendment right in their home city. It felt like something out of a war zone. It was just so, honestly, unbelievable to be a part of. But I think the sad thing is that it’s becoming a really common experience for a lot of people in Minneapolis. … I had seen, actually, a couple days in a row of different videos of each night the protesters go there. It’s peaceful. They’re not crossing into the road. And then the agents come out, and they start storming them, pointing their guns at them, throwing the flash bangs.
And so, yeah, I think it just made me extremely angry, and I just felt I need to use my voice even more so now. … There’s no way I can’t speak up on this. I experienced it. It’s in my hometown. People are terrified. They’re terrorizing communities, and it just breaks my heart, because there are so many people who were so courageous and brave in coming to the U.S. and trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, and that takes some more bravery and guts than a lot of people, I think, have. And so if you’re willing to do that, I think, honestly, you deserve to be here, and you have every right to make a better life for yourself and be a hard worker and a productive citizen.
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Q: If someone takes just one thing away from your posts and what you’re sharing, what do you hope that is?
Thompson: I would hope that people just have more compassion and empathy for others, because there are so many different experiences and perspectives and cultures and people coming from all different walks of life. And I think we don’t know the full story, and it’s really easy to cling on to these buzzwords and make everybody out to be a bad person who came here illegally, and I just think that does more harm than good. I think the more compassion and empathy we have for others, the more love and kindness will be in this world. … The less we villainize each other, I think, could be helpful.
But I think the most important thing is we need to stand up for the oppressed, and we need to speak up for people who don’t have a voice for themselves or who have been silenced. And I think that’s where I feel a responsibility and why I’ve spoken out. And even if people aren’t comfortable, maybe being public and speaking out about stuff like that, having conversations with your friends or your family, or finding different ways–maybe it’s different organizations to donate to–but I think every little bit counts and matters. I just genuinely believe in the power of our collective voices and speaking up for what’s right and standing up for human beings. And I think the more that we do that, we’re going to be in a lot better place.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
