The ICE Surge In Minneapolis: COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU!
It was a casual meeting.
At my health club in the beginning of February, a manager from one of Minneapolis’s major construction firms told me his company runs 22 crews across the metro. The day before, only four workers showed up. Four out of more than a hundred! Not because of weather. Not because of illness. Not because these workers were illegal. Because these workers were hiding in their homes too afraid of being swept up in the federal government’s immigration surge to go to work.
Their fear was not imagined. Thousands of immigrants have been detained in the Twin Cities since the start of Operation Metro Surge, and the vast majority should never have been taken in the first place. According to the University of Minnesota, roughly 75% were released because they were either U.S. citizens or have perfectly legal immigration status. Yet the damage is already done: the fear spread to everyone—documented and undocumented workers alike.
The economic fallout is visible across Minneapolis. Construction sites have slowed dramatically as migrant tradespeople, including those with legal status, stay home to avoid encounters with federal agents. Unions and contractors report that job-site visits by ICE have worsened an already tight labor market and delayed projects across the region. The broader workforce impact is staggering. A joint study by North Star Policy Action and the W.E. Upjohn Institute found that Twin Cities workers lost $106 million in wages between early January and mid-February. During that same period, the number of employees working in the metro fell, the number of operating business locations dropped and hours worked declined nearly 2%.
Small businesses—especially those serving immigrant communities—have been hit hardest.
One North Minneapolis grocer reported losing 90% of his business as both workers and customers stayed home, terrified that a routine errand could end in detention. His workforce shrank from 70 employees to 19. This is what happens when a federal crackdown treats an entire community as suspect. It doesn’t just target the undocumented. It freezes whole neighborhoods. It empties job sites. It drains paychecks. It punishes families who have every legal right to be here.
I’ve lived in Minneapolis since 1980. I know this city. I know its workers. I know its heart. What’s happening now is not who we are, and the people paying the price are the ones who have built, cleaned, cooked, cared for, and sustained this community for decades.
And this could be coming to a city near you!
Written By Jim Kaster, Board Chair of Stand Up For Workers
