A prosecutor warned someone would die in Operation Metro Surge. This op-ed asks who knew and why no one acted.
Operation Metro Surge
Posted inLocal & State
Judge orders mental health evaluation, travel restrictions for Metro Surge protester
A federal judge ordered a mental health assessment and travel restrictions for Army veteran Ian Davis Austin, one of 40 protesters charged under the FACE Act, prompting activists to call it the criminalization of veterans’ mental health. Contributing writer Clint Combs has the full report.
Posted inArts + Culture
After Operation Metro Surge, Mixed Blood Theatre turns to storytelling to heal
Following the taxing impact of Operation Metro Surge, Mixed Blood Theatre is leveraging story circles, a tool rooted in Indigenous history and Civil Rights organizing, to help Twin Cities residents reconnect, heal, and find strength in shared joy.
Posted inLocal & State
Ramsey County sues federal government over stonewalled Thao investigation
Ramsey County officials sued the Department of Homeland Security July 15, accusing the agency of withholding evidence needed to investigate the detention of a St. Paul man during Operation Metro Surge. Editor Jasmine McBride breaks down the case.
Posted inTheater
Rose McGee’s ‘Kumbayah’ marks 30 years of telling freedom’s story
Rose McGee’s “Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story” marked 30 years at St. Paul’s The O’Shaughnessy, with cast members drawing direct lines from the play’s history to Operation Metro Surge and police brutality today. Ella Stern reports.
Posted inLocal & State
14 activists plead not guilty in anti-ICE caseÂ
Fourteen of the 15 activists federally charged for anti-ICE activity pleaded not guilty in Minneapolis on July 1. Contributing writer Ella Stern reports from the arraignment, where prosecutors revealed 20 terabytes of evidence and a judge rejected their bid for a 90-day extension.
Posted inLocal & State
Charges dropped: Protester’s federal case ends with $25 fee
Federal charges against Isabel Lopez, an Aztec dancer and poet arrested during a June 2025 protest in south Minneapolis, were reduced to a misdemeanor after four felony counts collapsed, with Judge John Tunheim rejecting probation and ordering only a $25 court fee.
Posted inLocal & State
Human Rights Watch Report Accuses Federal Agents of Killings, Racial Profiling During Minnesota Immigration Crackdown
A 180-page Human Rights Watch report calls Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota a manufactured crisis, names nine DHS officials for investigation and documents how federal agents killed two Minneapolis residents, racially profiled thousands and dismantled the oversight apparatus designed to investigate such abuses.
Posted inLocal & State
Federal Government Charges 15 People Tied to Minneapolis Anti-Fascist Organizations
The Justice Department charged 15 people allegedly tied to two Minneapolis-based anti-fascist organizations in a 94-page indictment that revealed an extensive federal surveillance operation, quoting verbatim from encrypted Signal chats as U.S. Marshals deployed tear gas outside the St. Paul arraignment.
Posted inLocal & State
Operation Metro Surge Left Nearly $700 Million in Damage. For Some, the Cost Was Everything.
A sweeping new report estimates Operation Metro Surge inflicted nearly $700 million in economic damage on Minneapolis, with businesses losing $445 million in revenue, workers losing $152 million in wages and three people dead, as Daniel Hernandez prepares to close his third Colonial Market.
Posted inFinance
Predatory Lending Is on the Rise, and Small Businesses Are Paying the Price
MEDA Vice President Adrian Ruddock warns that predatory lenders are targeting small businesses struggling in the wake of Operation Metro Surge and urges BIPOC entrepreneurs to seek trusted alternatives before signing anything.
Posted inLocal & State
Twin Cities honored with JFK Profile in Courage Award for resisting Metro Surge
The people of the Twin Cities received the 2026 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 31, honored for risking their lives to protect neighbors and immigrant community members during Operation Metro Surge.
Posted inLocal & State
Second ICE agent charged as Hennepin County cases grow to 30
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced criminal charges against a second ICE agent for misconduct during Operation Metro Surge, as the Transparency and Accountability Project grows to 30 cases and becomes a flashpoint in the Hennepin County Attorney’s race.
Posted inLocal & State
No Kings rally in draws massive crowd
No Kings rally at the Minnesota State Capitol drew more than 100,000 people, making it the largest event of its kind to date, with national artists and elected officials on the program.
Posted inPolitics
Minneapolis council members, leaders oppose $38 million police training center
The Minneapolis police training center proposal faces pushback from council members and community leaders who question the cost and timing amid ongoing budget strain.
Posted inLocal & State
Shakopee Student Describes Immigration Stop at Capitol Rally
A Shakopee High School student described being stopped by immigration agents, as advocates rallied at the State Capitol over enforcement actions and detention conditions.
Posted inLocal & State
Richfield Police Arrest, Release 2 dozen protesters at Target Amid ICE Demonstrations
The Richfield Target protest resulted in 2 dozen arrests after demonstrators staged a sit-in demanding the retailer cut ties with ICE following January detentions inside the store.
Posted inLocal & State
Metro surge nears end after community resistance, not state cooperation
ICE Metro Surge Minnesota operations may soon conclude after more than 2,000 federal immigration agents were deployed for 70 days, drawing national scrutiny and local resistance.
Posted inLocal & State
Community resolve stiffens as ICE threat persists
Alex Pretti memorial in South Minneapolis has become a gathering place for mourning and protest following his fatal shooting.
Posted inLocal & State
Minneapolis NAACP holds press conference after federal shooting, says ‘We’re not doing George Floyd again’
Community leaders and members of the Minneapolis NAACP held a press conference Jan. 24 following the death of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed earlier that day by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent near East 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis. Pretti, a U.S. citizen, was identified […]