The immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota is ending, said Tom Homan, the border czar for President Donald Trump.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday he’ll back an aid package to support state businesses, especially immigrant-owned business, hurt by the surge of federal immigration agents in Minnesota over the past two months.

Walz told reporters he’ll propose a $10 million emergency fund, similar to an effort during the COVID-19 pandemic, that would offer forgivable loans targeted at small businesses.

During this special coverage following the announcement from Homan, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with guests about the impact of the immigration surge on the community. Plus we’ll hear live coverage of Gov. Walz’s announcement and comments regarding the federal immigration actions.

Guests:

• Michael Lansing is a professor of history of Augsburg University who has studied the history of policing in Minneapolis.
• Brian Bakst is the MPR News politics editor.
• Dana Ferguson is a politics reporter for MPR News.
• Zachary Aaker is an immigration attorney at Martin Law in Bloomington, Minn.
• Zena Stenvik is the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public School District.
• Brenda Lewis is the superintendent of Fridley Public Schools.

The federal immigration enforcement actions have brought a sense of fear and uncertainty to many communities in Minnesota.

Many people — especially immigrants and their families — are feeling unrelenting stress. Others are feeling anxious and exhausted as their workplaces, schools and neighborhoods navigate sudden changes and loss.

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how to live through a crisis — how to process grief, protect yourself when anger is everywhere and cope when you feel overwhelmed without resorting to “toxic positivity.”

Names removed from mailboxes. Businesses shuttered. More packages from online retailers. These are just a few of the changes mail carriers say they’ve noticed since President Donald Trump’s administration sent a surge of federal immigration agents to Minnesota in early December.

MPR News host Angela Davis hears from mail carriers about how ICE activity is affecting their work and the people they serve, and how their familiar routes feel different.

Guests:

• Artis Curiskis is a reporter and producer for the Center for Investigative Reporting — a nonprofit, independent, investigative newsroom that produces the radio show “Reveal,” the print magazine Mother Jones and the podcast “More To The Story.” You can hear his recent report about the changes mail carriers are noticing on their routes here: How Minneapolis Taught America to Fight Back.
• Luke Ferguson is a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier who delivers along a Minneapolis route ten blocks from where he grew up.

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Construction always slows during winter in Minnesota. But this year, federal immigration crackdowns are causing an even bigger slowdown in the industry.

Builders and remodelers who rely on immigrant labor say enforcement activity is making it harder to keep crews on the job. Many immigrant workers are staying home out of fear — worried about being detained, questioned and harassed by immigration officers. 

And when crews aren’t available, projects drag on and costs rise.  

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a homebuilder and a labor organizer about the impact of federal immigration enforcement on workers, businesses and the construction industry.

Plus, MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell shares the latest economic news headlines.

Guests:

• Dave Remick is the owner and president of McDonald Construction, a smaller, custom homebuilding company based in Burnsville, Minn. with projects throughout the greater Twin Cities.  
• Patricio Cambias is an organizer with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha, an organization working to protect worker rights and improve conditions for non-unionized workers in the construction industry in the Twin Cities metro area. 

For many people, the federal immigration activity in Minnesota creates fear and raises urgent questions about safety and belonging. For others, it’s a call to witness, document and respond. 

Artists are often among the first to translate historic moments like this — to give shape to emotions that can feel overwhelming or hard to name. Through poetry, visual art, murals, performance, and music, they help communities process what’s happening in real time. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a poet, a ceramic artist and a graphic artist about what they’re seeing, feeling and creating in this moment.

Guests:

• Junauda Petrus is the Poet Laureate for the city of Minneapolis. She is an author, playwright, filmmaker and co-founder of the experimental artist collective, Free Black Dirt. She is the author of the award-winning young adult novel, “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them,” and the children’s book, “Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers?”   
• Terresa Hardaway is the owner and creative director of Blackbird Revolt, a social justice-based design studio in Minneapolis. She’s an associate professor of graphic design and the director of Design Justice in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. She is also the owner of Black Garnet Books in St. Paul. 
• Sayge Carroll is an artist and co-founder of Mudluk Pottery Studio in Minneapolis.  

Federal immigration enforcement is fueling a growing rent crisis. Many immigrant workers — even those with legal authorization — fear leaving home due to increased enforcement, while others are losing income as workplaces cut hours or shut down. Without paychecks, rent and other bills go unpaid.

Advocates report a surge in calls to tenant hotlines and emergency assistance programs, particularly in immigrant communities, and some leaders are calling for a temporary ban on evicting tenants.

MPR News host Angela Davis discusses how immigration enforcement is upending people’s livelihoods and how communities are responding.

Federal immigration enforcement has entered a new era. ICE agents are now deploying facial recognition software, social media monitoring, and other digital tools to identify immigrants and surveil protesters.

MPR News host Catharine Richert and her guests take a hard look at how these technologies work, where the law draws the line, and what the expansion of digital surveillance means for privacy for all of us. If you've ever wondered how much your digital footprint can reveal, join us for tonight's conversation.

Guests:

• William McGeveran is the dean of the University of Minnesota Law School where he teaches data privacy.
• Shubhanjana Das is a reporter with the Sahan Journal. 

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.   

Over the past month, federal immigration enforcement has focused on the city of Minneapolis. Their presence and aggressive tactics have forced city leaders to navigate complex questions about authority, cooperation, and the role of local government.  

At the center of that conversation is the city’s community safety commissioner, Todd Barnette.

He oversees the Minneapolis Police Department along with the city’s fire department, 911 services, emergency management and neighborhood safety programs — with the goal of improving communication, accountability, equity, and service delivery.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Barnette about leadership, reform, and the path forward.

Guest:

• Todd Barnette is the community safety commissioner for the city of Minneapolis. Before his current role, he served 17 years as a judge in the Hennepin County District Court, including terms as presiding judge of drug court, presiding judge of the criminal division, and chief judge, where he was the first person of color to hold the position. He is also an adjunct faculty member and mentor at the University of St. Thomas Law School.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.     

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota school superintendents about how the surge in federal immigration activity is affecting student attendance, learning, and safety — and what it means for families and schools. 

Guests:

• Brenda Lewis is the superintendent of Fridley Public Schools.
• Christine Tucci Osorio is the superintendent for School District 622 which includes North St. Paul, Maplewood and Oakdale.

Businesses across Minnesota are feeling the strain as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown moves into its seventh week.

Immigrant-owned businesses — and companies that rely on immigrant workers — have been hit especially hard. Employers say many workers are staying home, worried about being stopped or detained by immigration officers. At the same time, customers are also staying away, as fear and tension ripple through communities following the recent killings of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

The result? Short-staffing, reduced hours, lost revenue — and a lot of uncertainty about what comes next.

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell looks at how this surge in enforcement is disrupting business as usual and what people can do to support their local shops and restaurants.

Guests:

• R.T. Rybak is the president and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation, which just announced plans to distribute $3.5 million to businesses hurt by the immigration enforcement surge. He is also a former mayor of Minneapolis.
• Miguel Hernandez is the owner of Lito's Burritos, with locations on Lake Street in Minneapolis and Richfield. He grew up working in his parents’ Richfield restaurant, El Tejaban Mexican Grill. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.