Filmmaker Laura Poitras presents documentary on U.S. immigration at Venice festival

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Filmmakers Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller premiered their 25-minute documentary, "They're Here," at the Venice Film Festival to document U.S. immigration raids in Minneapolis. The film tracks volunteers monitoring ICE agents during a deportation campaign launched by President Donald Trump in January 2025, an operation that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens during confrontations with protesters. Poitras stated the documentary aimed to "denormalise" the violence occurring during these sweeps, which local residents countered by documenting agent movements and organizing community resistance.

Consequences

The documentary serves as an international platform to highlight the ongoing conflict between the U.S. administration's mass deportation policy and local civilian resistance. Given that the Minneapolis crackdown previously led to an 80% reduction in local ICE agents following community pressure, the film’s release may further embolden similar documentation and resistance tactics in other jurisdictions.

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