Minneapolis, MN – As the struggle over immigration reform looms in Washington D.C., immigrant rights activists in Minnesota are pressing their senators and representatives to support genuine, progressive immigration reform. Activists are telling lawmakers to not compromise with anti-immigrant politicians, who will try to include repressive measures in immigration reform legislation. On Jan. 16, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) organized a call-in day targeting Senator Al Franken and Representative Keith Ellison. In addition to calling, people also sent messages to the politicians on their websites and tweeted a common message to them.

Saint Paul, MN – The struggle for immigrants to be able to get drivers licenses in Minnesota is gaining steam. The group leading the struggle is Mujeres en Liderazgo (Women in Leadership), a grassroots group of Latina immigrant women. They want the Minnesota legislature to allow anyone who lives in Minnesota to get a drivers license, regardless of their immigration status.

Bloomington, MN – El lunes 23 de noviembre por la mañana, un grupo de activistas pro-inmigrante organizó una protesta al estilo del teatro popular para denunciar de forma dramática el racismo y la hipocresía de las redadas en contra de los inmigrantes latinos, separando familias y comunidades.

Bloomington, MN – On Monday morning, Nov. 23, a group of immigrant rights activists staged a guerrilla theater-style protest here to dramatically expose the racism and hypocrisy of immigration raids that target Latino immigrants, tearing apart families and communities.

St. Paul, MN – On November 14, immigrant rights activists in the Twin Cities confronted a “tea party” rally of about 40 right wing anti-immigrant extremists at the Minnesota State Capitol. The anti-immigrant “tea party against amnesty” was in opposition to immigration reform legislation that may be introduced soon in the U.S. Congress, which might provide legalization for some undocumented immigrants. The tea party organizers oppose any legalization and instead support repressive mass deportations of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country. The anti-immigrant extremists gathered to hear speakers and held signs with messages such as “If You Are Illegal Go Home” and “Pack Their Sack and Send Them Back”.

_75 Speak Out on Day of the Dead Holiday _

Saint Paul, MN – 75 people gathered outside the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center, Nov. 1. The protest took place on Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) to commemorate the more than 4000 immigrants who have died trying to cross the border into the U.S. from Mexico and the hundreds who have died in U.S. jails awaiting deportation. Día de los Muertos is widely celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans in the U.S. to remember loved ones who have died.