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Stories from January 27, 2026

'Border czar' Tom Homan meets with Walz, Frey in Minnesota

The Trump administration official now overseeing the ongoing federal operation in Minnesota has arrived in the state and met with Gov. Tim Walz. St. Paul mayor Kaohly Her said she doesn't know if ICE's presence in the city is likely to change soon.
by Emily Reese

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Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota

Judge issues temporary order barring removal of boy, 5, and father who were detained in Minnesota

A federal judge has issued a temporary order prohibiting removal of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father whose arrest last week in Minnesota quickly become another lightning rod for America’s divisions on immigration under the Trump administration.
by The Associated Press

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Border czar Tom Homan meets with state and Minneapolis officials

Border czar Tom Homan meets with state and Minneapolis officials

Border czar Tom Homan held meetings with top state and Minneapolis officials Tuesday and discussed their requests to change course after two months of a surge in immigration enforcement operations.
by MPR News Staff

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Duluth area lawmakers speak out against ongoing ICE surge

Duluth area lawmakers speak out against ongoing ICE surge

Democratic state lawmakers from the Duluth area say the ongoing federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota is having a profound impact on their constituents, even as enforcement activities have been relatively limited in the region compared to elsewhere in the state.
by Dan Kraker

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Twin Cities-based theater company explores themes of homelessness, housing insecurity

Twin Cities-based theater company explores themes of homelessness, housing insecurity

For more than two decades, the Twin Cities–based zAmya Theater Project has brought stories of homelessness and housing insecurity to life, often through performers who have lived those experiences.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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Inside the Dilley detention facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo-Ramos is being held

Inside the Dilley detention facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo-Ramos is being held

Protests took place this weekend at the detention center in Dilley, Texas, where a 5-year-old Columbia Heights boy and his father are being held. The two were detained by ICE in Minnesota last Friday.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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St. Paul Mayor Her addresses challenges in city in week 7 of immigration enforcement

St. Paul Mayor Her addresses challenges in city in week 7 of immigration enforcement

St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her said there is fear throughout the city that has a ripple effect on home, school and businesses. Her said around 25 percent of students at St. Paul Public Schools are currently virtual.
by Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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Federal courts consider several cases involving immigration operations in Minnesota

Federal courts consider several cases involving immigration operations in Minnesota

A Minneapolis federal judge commands the head of ICE to appear in court to argue why he shouldn’t be held in contempt. Plus, temporary restraining orders are being considered in two separate federal cases about the ongoing immigration operation in Minnesota.
by Nina Moini, Matt Sepic, Peter Cox, Jon Collins and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey meets with 'border czar' Tom Homan

Frey called it a “productive conversation,” in which he asked for the federal immigration enforcement operation to come to an end as soon as possible.
by MPR News Staff

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Native American legal rights group says man earlier detained by ICE is being retaliated against

A legal advocacy group says ICE is retaliating against a Native American man following an unlawful detention earlier this month. 20-year-old Jose Roberto Ramirez, a U.S. citizen and Red Lake Nation descendant, was dragged from his car and detained on January 8. ICE then showed up at his home twice threatening to arrest him.

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St. Cloud City Council punts on resolution supporting law enforcement, passes one welcoming all

St. Cloud City Council punts on resolution supporting law enforcement, passes one welcoming all

The resolution declaring St. Cloud a “just and welcoming community” was offered by council member Hudda Ibrahim, a member of St. Cloud’s Somali American community. A council member who proposed a second resolution supporting law enforcement asked to postpone discussion on it until March, saying the timing isn’t right.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Minnesotans provide a surge of help to immigrant neighbors

Minnesotans provide a surge of help to immigrant neighbors

Many immigrants in Minnesota are afraid to leave their homes. MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about the surge in volunteers providing groceries, rides, rent money and other practical help.
by Catharine Richert and Maja Beckstrom

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Criminal Justice professor and former cop say there was no threat in Pretti shooting

Peter Moskos is a John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor and former cop. Moskos told NPR’s Steve Inskeep that in the Pretti killing there was “no threat here ever” and that “the government is lying to us.”

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Man released from ICE detention, averting order for acting ICE director to appear in Minneapolis

Man released from ICE detention, averting order for acting ICE director to appear in Minneapolis

Man released from ICE detention after Minnesota’s chief federal judge ordered the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear personally in a Minneapolis courtroom.
by Matt Sepic and MPR News Staff

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Backlash against the Trump administration is coming from Second Amendment advocates

Prominent Republicans and gun rights advocates helped elicit a White House turnabout this week after bristling over the administration’s characterization of Alex Pretti, the second person killed this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis, as responsible for his own death because he lawfully possessed a weapon.
by The Associated Press

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Experts say the divide between Minnesota and federal authorities is unprecedented

Experts say the divide between Minnesota and federal authorities is unprecedented

A new Minnesota website lays out evidence to counter what state officials have called federal misinformation after immigration officials fatally shot two residents during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
by The Associated Press

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Trump sending ‘border czar’ to Minneapolis. Judge considers lawsuit to end ICE operation in Minnesota

President Donald Trump said yesterday that he’s sending his “border czar” Tom Homan to Minnesota in the wake of Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, a judge is considering a lawsuit against the federal government seeking to end the current ICE operation in Minnesota.
by Jacob Aloi

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Reporter tracks ICE’s use of white nationalism, geofencing in recruitment strategy

Global affairs journalist Elise Labott dug into the Department of Homeland Security’s recruitment strategy and joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Monday with her findings.
by Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

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Minnesota killing produces backlash against Trump administration from Second Amendment advocates

Minnesota killing produces backlash against Trump administration from Second Amendment advocates

Prominent Republicans and gun rights advocates helped elicit a White House turnabout this week after bristling over the administration’s characterization of Alex Pretti as responsible for his own death because he lawfully possessed a weapon. Pretti was the second person killed this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis.
by The Associated Press

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Trump’s about-face in Minnesota after Pretti’s death is latest in pattern of sudden shifts

President Donald Trump shifted toward a more conciliatory approach with Democratic leaders in Minnesota on Monday, a sudden change in tack following an outcry over the second fatal shooting by federal agents in the state this month during the administration's nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
by The Associated Press

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Trump’s about-face in Minnesota after Pretti’s death is latest in pattern of sudden shifts

Trump’s about-face in Minnesota after Pretti’s death is latest in pattern of sudden shifts

President Donald Trump is taking a more conciliatory approach with Democratic leaders in Minnesota. This change follows the second fatal shooting there by federal agents this month. The incident has raised doubts about the administration's aggressive deportation tactics — including from some Republicans.
by The Associated Press

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Bovino to leave Minneapolis as Trump reshuffles the leadership of his immigration crackdown

Bovino to leave Minneapolis as Trump reshuffles the leadership of his immigration crackdown

Bovino’s departure marks a significant public shift in federal law enforcement posture amid mounting outrage over the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents.
by The Associated Press

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Minnesota House gains 2 DFL members after special election wins restore tie

Minnesota House gains 2 DFL members after special election wins restore tie

The Minnesota House is politically split down the middle again after special elections in a pair of races Tuesday that Democrats won. The House will have 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans when the session convenes in February.
by Brian Bakst

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In the wake of Alex Pretti's death, Congress appears on track for a partial shutdown

In the wake of Alex Pretti's death, Congress appears on track for a partial shutdown

Senate Democrats say they are unwilling to fund the Department of Homeland Security without major reforms, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown at the end of this week.
by Sam Gringlas

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Judge expects to rule soon on order compelling ICE to retain evidence in Pretti's killing

Judge expects to rule soon on order compelling ICE to retain evidence in Pretti's killing

The state of Minnesota argued in federal court Monday that a judge should extend a temporary restraining order that prohibits the federal government from destroying or altering evidence tied to the killing of a Minneapolis man by federal agents over the weekend. 
by Jon Collins and Peter Cox

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