It’s been two months since the federal government began what it calls “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota. Besides spreading fear amongst immigrants and many documented instances of violence and racial profiling, the surge has led many Minnesotans to jump into a remarkably large network of advocates, lawyers, constitutional observers and mutual aid providers. While these helpers have made headlines worldwide, many are getting tired. The Immigrant Defense Network has been operating beyond its capacity for weeks, and there’s not yet an end in sight.

The Immigrant Defense Network helped band together more than 100 organizations to assist struggling families and defend immigrants’ constitutional rights. In January, the network registered an average of 2,000 volunteers per week to deliver food, give at-risk families rides, go to court hearings, and translate documents.

“The scale is unimaginable,” Edwin Torres Desantiago, Immigrant Defense Network manager, said. “We have rapid response around the clock, seven days a week. We are actively responding to a case every six minutes across the state of Minnesota.”

Torres Desantiago said that to many staff and volunteers, their work feels like a nonstop sprint.

“A lot of us are tired, but we know that in this moment we need to keep defending and protecting our neighbors.”

“We are living with the reality that this is no longer a couple-week operation like it was in other cities,” Torres Desantiago said. “We are now expecting and creating the infrastructure that this is something we have to sustain for an unforeseeable future.”

Torres Desantiago said that even if the there was a sudden decrease in ICE agents in the state, his organization would still work around the clock for months to help with the ripple effect the operation has had on tens of thousands of Minnesotans.