The following open letter was received from Mitchell Campbell, a Twin Cities–area skier and signatory, earlier today. I am pleased to reprint it here.
Due to bandwidth issues, we will realistically probably not have any other coverage of this year’s Birkie up this weekend, sorry. If you have come to this article looking for results, you can find live tracking information here. Good luck to all athletes racing today.
Here is the letter:
Birkie skiers, spectators, friends, and fans,
As nordic skiers, we embrace all things winter, leaning into the snow and cold. But this winter has brought with it a new kind of ICE, a type we cannot and will not tolerate.
The presence of immigration and customs enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other federal agents deployed to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge has had an unprecedented negative impact on our communities. They have made our neighborhoods less safe, torn families apart, sowed a culture of fear (especially among non-white people), caused businesses to close (temporarily or permanently) and families to be evicted, and, of course, murdered innocent civilians.
We, as elite wave skiers at the 2026 American Birkebeiner, have come together to express our frustration and anger with the federal occupation in Minnesota. We reject the actions taken by ICE, DHS, and other federal agents, and sign onto the following demands:
● ICE OUT NOW! All ICE, DHS, and other federal agents deployed to Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge must be removed from the state.
● The immediate return of individuals illegally taken and detained by ICE back home.
● Eviction moratoriums across Minnesota and rental assistance to protect our neighbors who have been too scared to go to work during the occupation.
● Meaningful ICE reforms, including (but not limited to) entry/arrest only with judicial warrant, unmasking and identifying agents, ending legal immunity for agents, and publicly available body camera footage.
● Remove Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security.
● Full, independent investigations of the killings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti.
● Comprehensive immigration reform that provides pathways to citizenship and speeds up asylum case hearings.
We believe in protecting our neighbors and building communities that are safe and inclusive for everyone, values we seek to demonstrate in our personal, professional, and athletic pursuits. Immigrants make our country more productive and vibrant, and we are glad that they are here.
We, the signers of this letter, will wear “ICE OUT NOW” patches on our right thighs or our race bibs during the race on Saturday to express our anger and in support of our demands. We undertake this action as individuals, not as representatives of any team, club, or sponsor. And we look forward to future winters with plentiful snow and cold, but without any ICE.
