This week’s edition covers stories
from January 15th to January 21st, 2025.
Today’s issue is 694 words, a 6-minute read
Hey folks, Mateo here.
This week, we continue to stand with our neighbors facing an unprecedented federal assault on our communities. As Operation Metro Surge enters its second month, the weight of fear, grief, and uncertainty has not lifted—it has deepened. This edition focuses entirely on the latest developments in the ongoing ICE operations across Minnesota, from the administration’s political retaliation against our elected leaders to the community-led resistance taking shape this Friday. These are difficult times, and we know many of you are carrying heavy burdens. We’re holding space for everyone affected by these operations, and we remain hopeful that our collective action and solidarity will see us through. Here’s what happened this past week.
Retaliation and Resistance: One Year Under Trump
Yesterday marked exactly one year since Donald Trump’s second inauguration. To commemorate the anniversary, the Department of Justice served grand jury subpoenas to Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties as part of an investigation alleging conspiracy to obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The subpoenas were served on the same day that Attorney General Pam Bondi arrived for a visit in Minnesota, a coordination that state leaders say demonstrates the administration’s intent to intimidate. Frey’s subpoena requires him to appear in U.S. District Court on February 3.
The timing is transparent. Less than two weeks after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, the administration is weaponizing the justice system against any leader who dares stand up. Ellison emphasized the subpoena was “for records and documents, not for me personally,” calling the investigation “highly irregular” coming shortly after his office sued the Trump Administration. In his statement, Ellison was direct: “Let’s be clear about why this is happening: Donald Trump is coming after the people of Minnesota and I’m standing in his way. I will not be intimidated.”
Trump’s Press Briefing: Propaganda and Prejudice
At a nearly two-hour White House press briefing on Tuesday, President Trump defended ICE’s tactics while displaying posters of mugshots he claimed were all from Minnesota. “These are all out of Minnesota, just Minnesota,” Trump said, showing what he described as “rough characters” and “vicious” criminals. When asked about Renee Good’s killing, Trump dismissed it: “They’re going to make mistakes. Sometimes ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people. Are they going to make a mistake sometimes? It can happen. I feel terribly.”
The briefing devolved into racist attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community. Trump claimed “$19 billion at a minimum is missing in Minnesota, given to a large degree by Somalians,” and described Somali people as having “very low IQ” before attacking Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, claiming she’s “worth $30 million” and “never had a job.” DHS claims to have deployed 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota and made 3,000 arrests since Operation Metro Surge began, though Walz accused the administration of “taking credit” for arrests that occurred before the surge began.
This Friday: Day of Truth and Freedom
A broad coalition of faith leaders, labor unions, and community organizations has called for a statewide Day of Truth and Freedom on Friday, January 23, urging all Minnesotans not to go to work, school, or go shopping in response to Operation Metro Surge. Dozens of Twin Cities businesses have announced they will close, including restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, and other establishments. Auxiliary Minister JaNaé Bates Imari of Camphor Memorial United Methodist Church called for Minnesotans to “leverage our economic power, our labor, our prayer for one another”. Rodrigo Cardoza, owner of Mercado Central, said Operation Metro Surge has devastated the local economy: “What we are living through is an economic violence against all of us.”
Resources
MIM – Minnesota Immigrant Movement
MIRAC – Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.
Defend 612 – Block organizing, ICE watch and rapid response, and school protection groups.
Neighborhood House MN – food housing, and essentials for immigrants and refugees.
Minnesota ICE Watch – autonomous collective reporting, documenting, and resisting ICE. Uses funds for mutual aid.
Stay informed, stay connected.
See you next week!
–
Mateo and the NewPrensa team
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I’m a Communications Specialist by day and bracing the cold by night!
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