Social Issues

Trump's foreign farm worker policy criticized by both unions and 'America First' groups
Guest farm workers holding H-2A visas are more important than ever for agriculture, especially after President Trump’s immigration crackdown. But efforts to expand the program are opposed by groups across the political spectrum.
What it takes to make elections secure and accessible
MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and an election security expert about how our election systems can balance security with access.
Deaths of migrants in ICE custody hit record high under Trump
Twenty-nine people have died in ICE custody since October, the start of the federal government's fiscal year, already surpassing 2004's toll of 28, the previous record, according to government data.
ICE went on a hiring spree. Sterling credentials were not required, AP investigation finds
Some new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers started working before passing background checks and had problems in their past. ICE announced in January that it completed an unprecedented hiring spree, adding 12,000 officers and agents to double its force.
ICE acting director Todd Lyons will resign at end of May, DHS says
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced Thursday.
Minneapolis City Council considers ordinance to protect immigrant renters
The proposal seeks to limit how landlords screen tenants, including banning questions about immigration status. If adopted, the ordinance would allow for enforcement actions including fines and potential impacts to landlords’ rental licenses.
Oath ceremonies decline sharply in Minnesota, leaving many immigrants in limbo
Just over a year ago, Minnesota regularly held large, public naturalization ceremonies, often with hundreds of people at a time. But since then, new vetting procedures by federal immigration officials have led to dwindling numbers of ceremonies and the number of people who participate in them.
How U.S. communities have responded to plans to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing plans to convert warehouses into detention facilities for immigrants. Immigration officials have spent over $1 billion on 11 warehouses. But they have faced strong opposition.
'We Are All Immigrants': After ICE surge, this group keeps up quiet resistance
A group of men have handed out 500 armbands in Minneapolis. They hope to start conversations about their immigrant heritage amid federal immigration enforcement actions in the region.