Stories from January 13, 2026

Hennepin Healthcare interim leader steps down; board names 2 interim administrators
The Hennepin County Board dissolved the Hennepin Healthcare System Board in August 2025 due to a severe financial budget deficit and assumed interim oversight of the state’s largest safety-net hospital. The board intends to begin a search for a permanent CEO later this year.
Resettlement agency head says new Homeland Security operation ‘terrifying’ refugee families
Immigration and refugee advocates in Minnesota say a new federal “reverification” effort has led to home arrests by armed agents, rapid transfers out of state and widespread fear among refugee families who are living in the U.S. legally.
‘I was flooded with fear’: Minnesotans describe their encounters with ICE, being detained
From an Uber driver to a school drop off, MPR News spoke with Minnesotans who were stopped or detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
How to legally handle interactions with federal immigration agents
MPR News is seeing reports of Minnesotans having violent interactions with federal law enforcement. An ACLU Minnesota attorney says it’s become more difficult to interact with ICE because they are violating constitutional rights.
Our daily check in with MPR photojournalist documenting immigration actions in Minneapolis
On Tuesday morning, ICE agents took two people into custody and used chemical irritants on a crowd in south Minneapolis. The incident occurred a block from where an agent killed Renee Macklin Good. MPR News photojournalist Ben Hovland at the scene and joined host Nina Moini to talk about it.
The lead federal prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future fraud case has resigned. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson is objecting to the Justice Department's response to the killing of Renee Macklin Good by an ICE agent last week. The White House announced today that President Donald Trump is ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis.
Arctic cold and snow return to Minnesota
A pattern change brings much colder temperatures with occasional snow Thursday into the upcoming weekend.
Minnesota appealing feds’ move to withhold $2B in Medicaid funds
A key Minnesota official on Tuesday warned of “catastrophic consequences” for more than 1 million Minnesotans in need, including 600,000 children, if that money doesn’t come through.
Should you call 911 on ICE? What can local police do, if anything?
Advocates say community members are rightfully concerned when masked, armed men show up at homes and businesses. Law professors say local police can investigate federal agents with some limitations.
Federal judge could rule restricting ICE enforcement this week
Six people detained or threatened by ICE officers are seeking an order preventing ICE officers from taking retaliatory actions toward people who observe or protest immigration enforcement officers.
Legal expert: New Minnesota lawsuit argues ICE violates state's rights
MPR News hosts Clay Masters and Nina Moini spoke with Jason Marisam, law professor at Mitchell Hamline, about the legal argument Attorney General Keith Ellison is making through the new lawsuit.
'A deep irony': Native American legal expert weighs in on racial profiling
According to a legal expert, ICE agents profiling Native Americans is one of the consequences of recent decisions by the Supreme Court around the use of ethnicity in immigration stops.
Joe Thompson, Minnesota's top federal fraud prosecutor, quits over ICE shooting probe
Thompson’s resignation comes after top Justice Department officials pushed the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate the widow of Renee Macklin Good, who was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross last week. Thompson also objected to excluding state investigators from the Good shooting investigation.
ProPublica finds more than 40 cases of Immigration agents using banned chokeholds and other moves that can cut off breathing
Civilians have had apparent seizures. One had his eyes roll back. Another had ribs broken. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die,” said a 16-year-old citizen put in a chokehold. The government won’t say if any agents have been punished.
Protecting yourself from misinformation: What to know and how to spot it
We’re surrounded by information, but not all of it is true. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how technology is being used to mislead, what to question and how to avoid being fooled by fake images, videos and stories.
Woman dragged by ICE agents into unmarked car, private data being used to intimidate observers
This story includes live updates from Jan. 13, 2026: Aliya Rahman, a U.S.-born citizen, was dragged into an unmarked car and driven away while on her way to a doctor’s appointment. Joe Thompson, the U.S. Justice Department attorney best known for prosecuting social services fraud in Minnesota, resigned.
A conservative Supreme Court tackles the question of trans women in school sports
The first case involves an Idaho student barred by state law from trying out for the track team; the second was brought by a West Virginia middle schooler barred by state law from competing.
Federal immigration agents forced their way into a man’s home in north Minneapolis over the weekend, in what attorneys say was a clear violation of the Constitution. On Sunday morning, masked agents arrived to arrest Garrison Gibson, a 38‑year‑old Liberian man.
Final mild day before sharp cooldown
The region will see one more mild day today before much cooler air moves in late this week, bringing snow chances.
Trump administration to shutter an immigration court, adding to judges' backlog
The planned closure of the San Francisco Immigration Court comes as immigration judges spent the last year facing pressure to move through their caseloads faster and streamline deportations.
Twin Cities students walk out, decry ICE as surge continues
Hundreds of Twin Cities high school students walked out of school Monday to protest federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Officials are increasingly concerned about high absenteeism in some schools with families fearing being caught up in ICE operations.
Privacy advocates: ICE using private data to intimidate observers and activists
MPR News has looked into reports that federal agents have accessed private data to track and intimidate anti-ICE activists since the immigration crackdown surged in Minnesota in December. Privacy advocates say it’s a clear violation of state law.
What it took to return a 3,200-year-old bronze owl to public view at Mia
A rare, 3,200-year-old bronze owl, damaged by a visitor and painstakingly repaired overseas, returns to view at the Minneapolis Institute of Art — raising questions about risk, conservation and how museums display their most fragile treasures.