Life on the Ground in Minneapolis
"Immigrants and minorities are making preparations for friends and neighbors to care for their children if they get detained."
*Editorial Note: This short update was originally written on Friday, January 16th, 2026 by a longtime Minneapolis native* (*Name withheld for safety), in order to shed light on the reality of life within the Twin Cities in this terrifying moment. We are publishing this piece to amplify this message, and to call the Church to stand up, intercede, and pursue justice for all. ~MA
“If you are outside of Flyover Country (aka Minnesota), I want to give some updates. I am going to choose my words carefully, as my statements may be reported.
Today my city passed an ordinance restricting the use of city owned parking lots for park users only, and not allowing them to be used for storage or staging by ICE (or anyone else for that matter). Why did they do this? In part, this is in response to what happened at the city council meeting a few days ago, where hundreds of citizens came out to urge Minneapolis to ensure the safety of its residents, especially immigrant and non-white neighbors.
Here is what I know for sure, first hand:
- A lot of people are scared in the Twin Cities, minorities and immigrants especially. There are now three times more ICE/CBP agents in the Twin Cities than the Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Departments combined. We have seen videos of armed masked men in unmarked vehicles going door to door on blocks we know well, asking neighbors to report on Asian, Central and South American, and Black (especially Somali) families. There are armed checkpoints set up at grocery stores and at places like Walmart and Target.
- My neighbor shared with us about an immigrant she knew through her child’s preschool who was picked up while taking out her trash. Some have told us about elderly immigrants especially being targeted. An ICE agent threw a flash bang into a family’s SUV yesterday, injuring 6 children, requiring a mother to perform emergency CPR on her 6-month old infant to resuscitate them.
- Our kids’ soccer coach, who is an immigrant, suddenly quit a week and a half ago, citing a personal matter.
- And of course, we have all seen “That Video.”
The bottom line reality in my hometown is this:
Immigrants and minorities are making preparations for friends and neighbors to care for their children if they get detained. Some of us are carrying passports everywhere we go. Many families don’t feel safe going to get groceries, so kind neighbors are organizing food runs. And I have to think twice about letting my kids walk a couple of blocks to a friends’ house.
~A Longtime Twin Cities Resident and Committed Follower of the Way of Jesus”
*Editorial Note: If you’d like further evidence of life on the ground in Minneapolis, The Convocation Unscripted, a free-wheeling conversation between Drs. Diana Butler Bass, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Robert P. Jones, and Jemar Tisby, just recorded an episode dialoguing with Rev. Angela Denker, an award-winning author and local ELCA Lutheran pastor in the Twin Cities, whose witness is an invaluable source of truth. May Christ have mercy. ~MA
