>>Judge Weighs Claims of Political Motives in ICE Surge
(Minneapolis, MN) — A federal judge is weighing claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is acting on political motives during Operation Metro Surge. A lawsuit seeking to halt the operation and remove federal agents alleges the surge is driven by animosity toward blue states and Democratic leaders. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the lawsuit, arguing the operation is intended to punish Minnesota until the state complies with federal demands. The legal challenge follows months of requests by the Trump administration for data on Minnesota voters and recipients of Medicaid and food assistance.
>>Detained Asylum-Seeking Mother Asks Principal to Bring Her Two Kids to Whipple
(Minneapolis, MN) — A detained, asylum-seeking mother is asking her children’s principal to bring her two young kids to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, where she is being held. Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, Principal Jason Kuhlman confirms the mother was detained Thursday morning and is currently seeking asylum. With no one else in Minnesota available to care for the children, she asked Kuhlman to help reunite them. The children are between seven and nine years old. Kuhlman says ICE has detained parents from 25 families connected to Valley View Elementary. The children attend the same school as five-year-old Liam Ramos, who was detained with his father earlier this month.
>>Calls for Another General Strike Draw Fewer Minnesota Participants
(Minneapolis, MN) — Calls for another general strike are drawing fewer participants across Minnesota. A second consecutive economic blackout protesting ICE is gaining less traction than last week. Most businesses remain open, including many that closed during the first action, with some owners citing financial strain as a reason they cannot shut down again.
While the planned shutdown has attracted attention from celebrities online, the local response has been mixed. The Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, along with other labor unions and federations, has not endorsed a general strike this time, unlike last week.
>>Faith, Labor, Community Groups to Rally at Whipple Federal Building
(Minneapolis, MN) — Hundreds of faith leaders, labor groups, educators, and community members are expected to march to the Whipple Federal Building this morning (FRI, 8 a.m.). Organizers say the event is in response to federal charges filed against several Minnesotans who they describe as neighborhood volunteers observing immigration enforcement activity. Advocates say those charged include educators, grandparents, health care workers, and faith community members. They’re calling for the charges to be dropped and for no future federal charges against people they refer to as “constitutional observers.” The march also follows rising tensions surrounding federal immigration operations in Minnesota, including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
>>Mayor Frey in D.C. for U.S. Conference of Mayors
(Washington, D.C.) — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (fray) took his push to end Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city to Washington, D.C., this week.
Speaking Thursday at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Winter Meeting, Frey argued that ICE activity makes cities less safe. “It is less safe when we have roving bands of agents marching down the street just looking for somebody who might be a concern,” Frey said. “Everybody is concerned when you have that kind of occupation,” Frey said he will continue working with local, state, and federal leaders to bring Operation Metro Surge to an end.
Border Czar Tom Homan said he had a productive meeting with Frey earlier this week.
>>Governor Launches “Shop Local, Stand Together” Campaign
(St. Paul, MN) – Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) have announced the launch of the “Shop Local, Stand Together” campaign across the state. The governor is encouraging Minnesotans to support small, locally owned businesses, particularly those that have seen reduced foot traffic and uncertainty due to federal ICE operations in the state. Walz has proclaimed February as Shop Local Month.
>>Tuesday’s Precinct Caucuses Tuesday
(Northfield, MN) — The crowded field of Republican candidates for governor is expected to narrow at Tuesday’s precinct caucuses. Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier (sheer) said the Minnesota GOP straw poll will indicate which candidates remain viable.
Schier said candidates who perform poorly in the straw poll are unlikely to survive in such a crowded GOP race. Schier says Democrats, “Meanwhile, are expected to coalesce around U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has a strong electoral record and is in a good position right now.”
>>National Shutdown Day
(Minneapolis, MN) — Minnesotans are calling on neighbors and Americans nationwide to take part in a national shutdown today (Friday). Dahir Munye (duh-HEER moon-YAY), president of the Somali Student Association at the University of Minnesota, said organizers held what they describe as the first general strike in decades last week. “Over 100,000 people attended, and we all came together to stand up and speak up on the horrific crimes that ICE agents have been committing, not only here in our city, but all around the country,” Munye said. “The very next morning, ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti.” The strike last Friday called for no shopping, no work, and no school. Organizers are asking participants to do the same today, followed by protests, marches, and rallies scheduled for Saturday.
>>Office of Higher Ed Awards Funding to Combat Campus Food Insecurity
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Office of Higher Education is awarding new grant funding to help colleges address food insecurity among students. Communications Director Keith Hovis says nine private, nonprofit, and Tribal institutions will receive funding to launch or expand programs to get food to students in need. Schools can use the money to support on-campus food pantries, partner with local food banks, or help students access benefits like SNAP. Grant awards can total up to fifty thousand dollars per campus, depending on each proposal.
>>SC Man Faces Multiple Felonies for Minor Sexual Assault
(St. Cloud, MN) — A South Carolina man is facing multiple felony charges in Stearns County after allegedly traveling to Minnesota to have sex with a 14-year-old girl he met online. 22-year-old Nicholas Daniels of Boiling Springs faces six felonies, including third-degree criminal sexual conduct and sending sexual content to a child. The case surfaced in late June after a condom was found in the girl’s room. She later disclosed the relationship to staff at the Child Advocacy Center. According to the complaint, the two met on Roblox last spring and moved their conversations to Snapchat. Investigators say Daniels drove to Minnesota in May and again in June, meeting the girl multiple times in St. Cloud. A forensic search of the girl’s phone allegedly uncovered nude photos and explicit messages Daniels sent. He was booked into the Stearns County Jail on Thursday.
