Under siege: museums as safe spaces

Museums have always carried a quiet promise. Step through the doors and you’re in a space of trust. A space to learn, to reflect, to gather.

Much like libraries, museums are our community anchors. They host events, welcome school groups, and sometimes even double as warming centers in the winter. They’re not just about artifacts under glass. They’re about belonging.

But this year, that promise feels fragile.

WHAT’S HAPPENING 

On a July afternoon in Chicago, more than a dozen Homeland Security vehicles surrounded the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture. Agents remained on site for nearly two hours without a warrant or prior notice. When staff asked them to leave, the agents refused, insisting they could be there “wherever” and “whenever” they wanted.

Local leaders called it exactly what it was: intimidation.

And for Puerto Ricans—U.S. citizens whose cultural identity has been repeatedly marginalized—the symbolism was especially cruel. Puerto Rico may be a U.S. territory, but this community is not “foreign.” Their rights and heritage deserve protection, not harassment. That’s why this moment hit so hard: a museum that should feel like a sanctuary became a site of fear.

Unfortunately, Chicago isn’t an outlier.

In Washington, D.C., National Guard troops now line the National Mall, where millions of people visit the Smithsonian museums every year. Their presence is explained as “protection.” But the effect is unsettling. Cultural spaces shouldn’t feel like military checkpoints.

This brings about the question: who or what, exactly, are they “protecting”? 

In Los Angeles, institutions have been pulled into the orbit of unrest as well, forced to balance their roles as public gathering spaces with the pressures of federal presence.

The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) publicly decried the presence of masked agents on museum grounds during a press conference with California Governor Gavin Newsom. Here, a group of roughly 75 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents gathered in what JANM described as an intimidation tactic aimed at visitors and the press. 

The museum drew stark parallels to its own history. As JANM President and CEO Ann Burroughs stated: 

“[E]ntire communities were forcibly removed from the West Coast in 1942 and today our immigrant brothers and sisters face the terror of ICE and CBP raids across the country. It was a miscarriage of justice then, and it is a miscarriage of justice now.”

None of this is a minor inconvenience. When museums and cultural spaces feel unsafe, community trust erodes. And when trust erodes, the purpose of those institutions is at risk.

WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT

We can’t shrug and accept this as normal. But we can prepare.

One resource to keep close: the Legal Guide for Nonprofits on Immigration Enforcement, published by the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the Lawyers Alliance for New York. Though rooted in New York and federal law, the principles apply broadly. The guide answers the practical questions that surface in moments when intimidation shows up uninvited:

Do agents need a warrant to enter?

• Yes. A signed judicial warrant—not just an administrative one. Without it, entry can be refused.

What do you do if confronted?

• Stay calm. Ask for the warrant. If it isn’t produced, decline access and immediately call legal counsel.

How do you prepare ahead of time?

• Write protocols. Train staff. Designate a point person. Rehearse the steps, so panic doesn’t get to lead the way.

You can download the full guide here. 

Simple steps, but ones that make a difference.

Because the broader lesson is clear: know your rights, strengthen your staff’s confidence, and refuse to let intimidation rewrite the mission of our cultural spaces.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS

Museums are more than an exhibit. They’re containers for memory. They’re places where communities see themselves reflected, and where truth is preserved for the long haul. 

The American Alliance of Museums reminds us: museums consistently rank among the most trusted institutions in America. That trust is hard-earned, which makes the current wave of intimidation so concerning. Because intimidation does more than interrupt daily operations. It tells a community: your stories are not safe here.

And that’s why this moment matters. It isn’t only about federal vehicles in a Chicago parking lot, or soldiers standing watch on the National Mall. It’s about what happens when the bedrock institutions of trust and truth begin to feel compromised.

Preparedness can’t erase the threat, but it can keep communities from feeling powerless. And in times like these, that matters. A lot. 

IN CONCLUSION 

Museums don’t just preserve the past. They safeguard the future. When intimidation tries to change that story, it shakes all of us. But history shows communities adapt, collection stewards endure, and cultural trust, while fragile, is remarkably hard to kill.

Together, we can continue our important work of keeping museums and cultural institutions safe spaces for learning, belonging, and truth.

Let’s hold that line, and hold it together. 

This blog post content was originally included in our community newsletter: The Moment -- where we respond quickly and thoughtfully to impactful events and decisions that challenge or disrupt our profession.