St. Paul, MN – On March 22, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and other grassroots organizations held a rally outside of the Minnesota Governor’s Residence to pressure Governor Walz to issue an executive order that would ban cooperation between ICE and state and local law enforcement.

The rally was in the wake of Operation Metro Surge, which subjected the entire state of Minnesota to a reign of terror by federal agents for nearly three months.

MIRAC member Myrka Zambrano stated, “Our so-called leaders have confidently stated that the metro surge is over. The media has moved on. Our voices are being suppressed. But nothing has changed. In the so-called ‘aftermath’ of their invasion, what is very clear is that the fight has just begun. Thousands of families are still starving. Many people will lose their homes or be evicted, through no fault of their own. Our children are traumatized. Our businesses have lost tens of millions of dollars. All of this is a direct result of our leaders' lack of action and accountability.”

La’Taya Taylor, a member of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) told the crowd, “We need to put the political power to hold police accountable in the hands of the people, not in the hands of these highly paid politicians who don’t represent our interests. Lastly, we call on Governor Walz and all state legislators to heed the demands for a sanctuary state now. Ban any and all cooperation with ICE, defend protesters from political repression, provide justice for victims of ICE terror, keep ICE off state property, ban secret police, and implement a statewide eviction moratorium.”

José Luis Méndez, a member of Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, called attention to the death toll of immigrants in ICE detention since Trump took office. Thus far, federal immigration enforcement has stolen the lives of 47 immigrants, whether through reckless murder or criminal negligence. The Legalization for All network, which MIRAC is part of, will uplift their names during the nationwide No Kings protests on March 28 to ensure that their deaths will not be swept under the rug.

Méndez continued, “And it’s not just about being here in the United States. We want more freedom here in the U.S., but we want more freedom in South America, in the entire continent, and in every single continent of this world.” He followed this by condemning the U.S. for bombing Venezuela and starving Cuba.

Alissa Washington, the founder of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council, then spoke to the complicity of the local justice system, reporting how immigrants within the system have been directly transferred to ICE detention centers after serving their time. “Think about that,” Washington said. “You do your time in this state. You serve your sentence, and instead of going home to your family, you get handed off to another system. Another punishment. That is not justice, that is a pipeline, and we reject it.”

Drew Edwards, one of the Black community leaders facing federal repression after protesting against Cities Church, which hired an ICE official to lead the congregation, stated, “We’re not going to put the immigrants as a scapegoat for the ignorance of America. We’re not going to scapegoat transgender brothers and sisters. We’re not going to scapegoat Iranians. We’re not going to scapegoat all these other brothers and sisters, and we’re not going to find somebody to scapegoat for the ignorance of white supremacy, and the ignorance of imperialism, and the ignorance of capitalism. We’re not going to do that.”

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