Unaccompanied Minors in Minnesota Report Surprise Visits from Federal Agents
Unaccompanied minors across Minnesota are being approached by federal agents without warning, sparking fear among immigrant families and raising questions about the legality and intent of these “wellness checks.” Attorneys and advocates say the surprise interviews—carried out by plain-clothed agents in unmarked cars—have intensified under the Trump administration, targeting minors in Windom, Worthington, St. Paul, and Minneapolis.
Federal agents are showing up unannounced at homes throughout Minnesota looking to question minors who came to the United States without parents and legal status, according to immigration attorneys and advocates.
Families in Windom, Worthington, St. Paul and Minneapolis reported that, starting in March, minors in their care have been interviewed by federal agents, according to at least three Minnesota attorneys who work with immigrants.
“This naturally puts a lot of fear into these families,” said Erin Schutte Wadzinski, attorney and owner of Kivu Immigration Law based in Worthington.
The interviews are part of the many new ways President Donald Trump’s administration is tightening immigration enforcement, according to local immigration attorneys, who said the practice was not used by other presidential administrations. ICE spokesperson Erin Bultje did not respond to questions before publication time.
Many minors who came to the United States without parents and legal status crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and were processed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While awaiting the outcome of their deportation cases, they are designated as “unaccompanied minors” and allowed to stay in the United States, oftentimes with relatives or a caregiver.
Under Trump’s administration, interviews with unaccompanied minors across the country are called “wellness checks,” supposedly to ensure that minors are following immigration laws and not being exploited, according to an ICE memo. However, the surprise visits are causing fear and confusion for families, said local immigration lawyers and advocates, adding that some minors’ relatives have been taken into ICE custody.
“The welfare checks are typically conducted by plain-clothed ICE officers in unmarked vehicles — officers who only speak English and show up to homes unannounced,” Schutte Wadzinski said.
There has been an increase of surprise visits in Worthington and Windom in the last few weeks, said Jessica Velasco, Southern Minnesota coalition director of Unidos MN, a statewide immigrant advocacy group. At least 30 confirmed interviews occurred in the past few weeks in the region about 150 to 180 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, some with unaccompanied minors between 9 and 16 years old, she said.
Typically, two federal agents knock on the door and ask to speak with the minor at the home. Most of the time, Schutte Wadzinski said, families refuse to open the door and instead have the child speak to agents through an open window.
Agents usually ask the child if they have been attending school and immigration court hearings, and also ask about their safety and whether they are working, said Cedar Weyker, an attorney with Advocates for Human Rights, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that mobilizes free immigration help, among other legal work.
“The questions seem to vary widely,” Weyker noted. Some families have reported brief interviews, she said, while others have reported extensive, longer interviews. Weyker also said families have reported seeing agents from different federal agencies, such as ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
Immigration attorneys say they were shocked by the checks, since the Trump administration didn’t issue a public statement announcing the practice or explaining how the interviews would be conducted. It’s unclear if the interviews are a one-time visit, or if minors will be visited multiple times.
Lindsey Greising, an attorney for Advocates for Human Rights, said attorneys in her office often work with unaccompanied minors, and that it usually takes a long time to build trust with them before they share their experiences with exploitation. Agents showing up unannounced at their homes will most likely indicate to the minor that the situation is dangerous and will make them uncomfortable, she added.
Asked whether unaccompanied minors and their caretakers should engage with agents, Weyker and Greising said they could not give legal advice about what individuals should do, and encouraged families to consult with immigration attorneys.
Wadzinski said families should know their rights as immigrants if federal agents show up for a check. Some tips she shared include:
- Do not open the door to federal agents.
- Do not sign anything before consulting a lawyer.
- Always carry valid immigration documents with you.
Velasco, who has worked with immigrant youth for nearly a decade, said families who experienced the federal checks worry about being separated from the child under their care.
“The only way we’re going to continue to thrive and grow is if we take care of and ensure that our young people are feeling safe,” she said of unaccompanied minors.
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Minnesota’s immigrants and communities of color. Sign up for a free newsletter to receive Sahan’s stories in your inbox.