Twin Cities Eviction Crisis Deepens as ICE Enforcement and Housing Instability Collide
The Twin Cities eviction crisis is accelerating as federal immigration enforcement, rising housing instability and increased eviction filings converge. Community organizers and housing advocates warn that grassroots fundraising cannot keep pace with the scale of the crisis and are urging state leaders to intervene before more families are displaced.
As February rent comes due, thousands of Twin Cities families are facing eviction amid a convergence of federal immigration enforcement and mounting housing instability. While community members have raised tens of thousands of dollars through grassroots fundraisers, organizers say private donations cannot keep pace with the scale of the crisis.
Kathryn Sharpe raised $41,974 through GoFundMe to help shield eight families from eviction but remains roughly $3,000 short of her goal.
“Many of these families are struggling economically due to family members being detained and or being too afraid to leave home to go to work,” Sharpe wrote. “Funds will go towards rent, food, and legal support for families impacted.”
Other fundraisers have fallen further behind. Travis Matthews raised just $330 of his $5,000 goal for a family unable to work because of immigration status concerns.
“Due to their immigration status, this family has been forced to remain inside their home and has been unable to work,” Matthews wrote. “As a result, essential bills have quickly piled up, and they are behind on rent and are at risk of being evicted.”
Calls for State Action Grow
Advocates say these shortfalls reflect a much larger emergency. On Jan. 30, renters and organizers staged a sit-in at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority lobby, demanding an immediate halt to evictions.
“We’re not going to GoFundMe our way out of this problem,” said Minneapolis City Council Member Aisha Chughtai, speaking outside the MPHA building minutes before the action began. “The scale of the problem is too big. We need action from our governor to enact a statewide eviction moratorium. This is not a normal moment.”
Half a dozen tenant unions across Minneapolis and St. Paul recently merged to form the Twin Cities Tenant Union, organizing mutual aid while pushing MPHA to pause all evictions, dismiss active cases, and provide renters a three-month grace period to repay rental debt.
During the sit-in, tenants chanted “No evictions under occupation,” urging city and state leaders to act before the first wave of February evictions.
Federal Enforcement and Housing Instability
Organizers say eviction courts, immigration enforcement, and policing have combined to create a state of emergency for immigrant renters.
“We’re here today because federal immigration enforcement, eviction courts, and the police power of the state are converging to terrorize the same families,” said Jess Zarik, co-executive director of HOME Line. “Housing instability is being used as a weapon, and the scale of this crisis is unlike anything we’ve seen in our 34-year history.”
Tenant unions have become organizing hubs amid Operation Metro Surge, a paramilitary-style ICE operation that has forced many immigrant families to choose between going to work and risking detention or sheltering in place. Foot traffic has dropped sharply along immigrant business corridors, including Lake Street and Karmel Mall.
Evictions Rising Rapidly
Eviction filings show how quickly the crisis has escalated. Landlords filed 631 evictions in January 2026, a 45 percent increase from the same month last year, according to Hennepin County data. Filings rose from 446 in November 2025 to a yearly high of 743 in December.
“Since December, more than 86 households have contacted us because immigration enforcement destabilized their housing,” Zarik said. “We know that barely scratches the surface, because fear keeps people silent.”
At the same time, requests for financial assistance have nearly doubled.
“We’re seeing a nearly 80 percent increase in renters seeking help compared to last year, exceeding even the early months of the COVID pandemic,” Zarik said.
Pressure on State and City Leaders
The crisis has intensified following two ICE-related shootings. Alex Pretti was killed two weeks after Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good. No agents have been charged in either case.
Tenant unions and housing advocates are calling on Gov. Tim Walz to pause evictions for the duration of Operation Metro Surge.
State Sen. Omar Fateh described the scope of the enforcement effort.
“We’re living under an invasion, an occupation, and the largest ICE operations in our nation’s history,” Fateh said. “There’s money to fund enforcement, but no money to house our neighbors. This is not right.”
Activists also criticized MPHA’s role.
“MPHA is one of the largest landlords in our city and houses some of our most targeted neighbors,” Zarik said. “This month alone, MPHA and its related nonprofit filed 41 evictions, many for nonpayment amounts smaller than the cost of filing the case itself. Tiny sums with life-or-death consequences.”
Lucid Thomas, a West Side St. Paul resident involved in local organizing, warned of what lies ahead without intervention.
“A teenager was taken on my street,” Thomas said. “If Governor Walz does not sign an eviction moratorium, I fear many more of my neighbors will be taken. Rental assistance is not enough.”
Beyond halting evictions, organizers also called on state lawmakers to pass a $50 million emergency fund for low-barrier rental assistance and to enact stronger tenant protections statewide.
Clint Combs is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.