As immigration enforcement ramps up in Minneapolis, one Nebraska man responded by driving more than six hours north — not to protest, but to help in the way he knows best: showing up, organizing and volunteering.
Paul Feilmann
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Grief, fear and defiance: Lincoln stands with Minneapolis in candlelight vigil
Demonstrators stand on the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis.
The statue of Chief Standing Bear on Centennial Mall holds a hat bearing a slogan on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis.
Maghie Miller-Jenkins (right) and Spencer "X" (left), who declined to give a last name, holler into megaphones on Tuesday during a demonstration and candlelight vigil in Lincoln for the people of Minneapolis. The rally began at the Standing Bear statue at Centennial Mall and ended at the Capitol.
Tessa Thiel holds a sign on the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis in Lincoln. “This is not the America I stand for,” Thiel said.
Kamaria McFarling, 2, (left) and her 4-year-old sister, Esmeray, participate in a demonstration and candlelight vigil on Tuesday for the people of Minneapolis in Lincoln. The rally began at the Standing Bear statue at Centennial Mall and ended at the Capitol. “They’re young, but as they get older they might ask me questions about what happened,” said their mother, April McFarling (not pictured). “I want them to know I did everything in my power — I stood up for my immigrant friends and stood up for my neighbors,” she said.
Nancy Padyet (left) and Desia Kitcheyan (right) carry a banner on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis as they march from the Standing Bear statue at Centennial Mall to the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. “We have to stand together,” said Kitcheyan, a member of the Winnebago tribe of Nebraska.
Nancy Padyet (left) and Desia Kitcheyan (right) carry a banner on Tuesday during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis as they march from the Standing Bear statue at Centennial Mall to the Capitol. “We have to stand together,” said Kitcheyan, a member of the Winnebago tribe of Nebraska.
Layla Rockman carries a sign on Tuesday during a demonstration and candlelight vigil for the people of Minneapolis in Lincoln. “I’m from Minneapolis, so it really hits close to home,” she said of the recent events taking place in her city.
