ReportWire

Tag: Immigration

  • Twin Cities nonprofit seeing rise in calls from residents for food, housing assistance

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    For many, February rent is due in two days, and increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity is keeping some from going to work.  
     
    Help lines at the Greater Twin Cities United Way are seeing a surge in need. Housing assistance calls are up 60%, overwhelming organizations trying to respond.
     
    Denia is a single mother of three. Fear has taken over her life. She hasn’t worked since December, not because she doesn’t want to, but because leaving home feels dangerous.
     
    “We feel desperate, locked in. We are afraid even to take out the trash or check the mail,” Denia said in Spanish. 
     
    She asked WCCO not to show her face due to her immigration status. Without income, she’s constantly worried about rent and keeping food in the fridge. 
     
    Advocates say her story reflects a growing crisis. Families are calling in for help in unprecedented numbers. 
     
    Shannon Smith Jones with Greater Twin Cities United Way says calls to 211, the confidential 24/7 call center that connects people with locally available help, have skyrocketed. 
     
    “We took in over 6,000 calls in a week. Our housing has increased by over 140%,” Jones said.

    Calls for food assistance are up 120%. And in one day, the Spanish-speaking line reached 1,000 calls, that’s up from 65 on an average day. 
     
    “The need is exploding, and we are doing our best to keep up with demand,” Jones said. 
     
    Greater Twin Cities United Way continues to work to meet the need. In January alone, the nonprofit distributed nearly $200,000 in resources. 
     
    Jones said they are working to expand their language lines and adjusting staffing levels to keep up.
     
    Families in need are encouraged to reach out to local nonprofit organizations or call 211 to get routed to the right organization. 
     
    For Denia, she says her dream is to go back to work again and live freely with her children.
     
    For more information on Greater Twin Cities United Way, click here. 

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    Ubah Ali

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  • Strikes, demonstrations across the U.S. to protest ICE

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    Crowds gathered across the U.S. on Friday to protest immigration enforcement actions. Thousands have taken to the streets in Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and beyond as activists call for a nationwide strike to protest ICE. CBS News’ Ian Lee reports on protests in Minneapolis.

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  • Friday protest had parents scrambling for child care, leaving some frustrated and others inspired

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    A nationwide grassroots protest that had teachers walking in support of immigrant families left parents across Denver expressing a mix of solidarity and frustration over the district’s decision to close some schools and early childhood education centers with little notice.

    More than 1,100 teachers, roughly 20 percent of the workforce, called out.

    On social media and in interviews, many parents said they supported educators’ walking out but struggled over the last-minute scramble to find child care so they could go to work. One nurse arrived home from her night shift to learn her early childhood center was closed.

    Denver Public Schools, with 90,000 students, closed six campuses but announced a two-hour delayed start for other campuses. The district, however, canceled all early childhood programs and center-based programs for students with disabilities.

    DPS responded that it was the goal of Superintendent Alex Marrero to provide school on Friday for all students across the district. 

    “So he waited until the last minute, hoping that the staff would be able to find a way to keep all schools open while providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students, but that wasn’t possible,” said spokesperson Scott Prible. “We understand that the late decision put some parents in a bind, and for that, we are sorry.”

    Denver East High School students march from St. John’s Cathedral on Capitol Hill to the Colorado State Capitol, Jan. 30, 2026.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Chelsea Randall said that while she understood the reason for the walkout, the lack of notice had real consequences.

    “Part of me really understands and wants to support the strike/protest, but as a health care worker who couldn’t casually take the day off, it was really stressful to work to find a last-minute arrangement.”

    For many parents, the day began with frantic early-morning notifications that upended work schedules.

    “I do understand that they have a right to do that, I guess, but it hurts a little that they do not realize that this affects people that already struggle, and one day off work makes a big difference in their finances,” one parent wrote on Facebook.

    The situation was the most stressful for early childhood programs and programs for students with disabilities. The district said child programs in centers and based in schools have special staff licensing requirements that are different from other classes and grades. If they can’t meet those requirements because of staffing shortages, they have to close.

    A large protest group, mostly made up of students, marches through downtown Denver on a general strike day across the nation against President Donald Trump’s deportation surge. Jan. 30, 2026.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Some parents at Isabella Bird school found out about the closure as they were leaving for work. Other parents said the district’s approach conflicted with its stated commitment to equity.

    “I have a very difficult time when a district preaches that they believe in equity, but they don’t think about how this is going to impact the parents that really depend on this as their child care,” said parent Stephanie, who did not want to give her last name because of negative repercussions at work. “Very frustrating.”

    Another Denver parent was out of state and has three children who attend three schools, each of whom had a different schedule on Friday.

    “I understand wanting to send a message. I understand wanting to show support for the immigrant community being targeted with violence,” she said. “I am troubled that teachers wanted to do that in a way that feels chaotic, and am troubled that they chose not to do that in a way that supports my students.”

    Students with disabilities

    Several families voiced concerns about how closures disproportionately impacted children with disabilities. One former educator of 16 years described the district’s decision to cancel center-based instruction for special needs programs as “unlawful” and a “civil rights violation.”

    “The district office chose politics over students’ constitutional and civil rights,” said Wendy Chrisley Weeden. “By canceling education for children not even participating in the National Walkout while other classroom assignments continued, DPS effectively treated special needs students differently and denied them the opportunity to learn.”

    A large protest group, mostly made up of students, marches through downtown Denver on a general strike day across the nation against President Donald Trump’s deportation surge. Jan. 30, 2026.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    DPS’s Pribble said some centers require a small ratio, including one-to-one in some cases. Some special needs centers require a certified health provider to assist with feeding tubs and other needs. 

    “Rather than putting untrained employees in situations in which they could fail and negatively impact the students, the decision was made to close those centers,” he said. “The decision was not discriminatory; it was done with the best interest of our students in mind.”

    Parents of children with chronic medical issues expressed frustration over the district’s rigid attendance policies during such “chaotic” events.

    “If my student didn’t have to miss school often for a chronic medical issue (putting him in district cross hairs for attendance) we would have allowed them to stay home or go to the protest with friends,” said Emily Stone.. “The district’s predatory adherence to attendance policies during times like this is problematic.” 

    Supportive parents

    One parent, Rev. Jenny Whitcher, saw the disruption as a necessary part of a social movement.

    “Resisting state violence is definitely an inconvenience, but I don’t blame that on DPS or organizers; that blame squarely goes on our country’s current regime … What level of inconvenience and sacrifice are we willing to tolerate to protect each other?”

    Sofia Solano, an Aurora parent who, unlike in Denver, had advance notice that Aurora Public Schools was closing, saw the day as a teaching moment for her children.

    “To me, having ICE in Colorado and what’s happening in Minneapolis is far more of an inconvenience than having our kids out of school for one day.”

    A woman in bright red, fuzzy boots yells into a microphone from atop a green picnic table. She's surrounded by a crowd.
    A freshman at East High School wears fuzzy rollerskates as she speaks to an enormous crowd gathered at La Alma-Lincoln Park in protest of President Donald Trump’s deportation surge on Jan. 30, 2026. This, she told them, was her first protest.
    Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

    Some parents who work from home teamed up to rotate houses throughout the day so it wasn’t too much of a scramble. Danielle Eberly said she respects that many teachers at her Spanish immersion school are immigrants.

    “I wanted to support them in their cause and not make it harder on the school,” she said.

    Other parents whose schools stayed open but had limited staff said the community, parents, and former staff volunteered time to help with recess, lunch and transportation to an event. One parent said when Odyssey Elementary notified parents it would be closed, Craftsman & Apprentice stepped up with a donation-based day camp for kids.

    In the future, parents hope they can get more notice of closures.

    Randi Maves, who has a child in an early childhood center, said she wished the district had planned ahead.

    “If they knew there were going to be potential teacher shortages, they should have aligned substitutes earlier in the week.”

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  • Protesters close schools and stores during a nationwide strike against Trump’s immigration policies

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    Protesters held “no work, no school, no shopping” strikes across the U.S. on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    The demonstrations took place amid widespread outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

    “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.

    Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.

    Protests continue in Minneapolis

    Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.

    After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility’s restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota.” Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.

    Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

    “They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools,” she said. “Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.”

    High schoolers stage walkouts and some businesses close

    In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree (minus 18 degrees Celsius) temperatures and walked about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.

    “We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. “It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.”

    Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.

    “For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something,” the sophomore said.

    Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday’s “blackout.” Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.

    Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.

    “As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday,” they posted.

    The demonstrators called for no work, no school, and no shopping, all in efforts to fight back against President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Jessica Cunnington reports from Foley Square. 

    Maine residents revel in end of immigration enforcement surge in state

    In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said “No ICE for ME,” a play on the state’s postal code.

    Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an “enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect.” She said ICE’s actions brought “daily trauma” to the school system.

    “Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family,” Valenzuela said.

    Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE’s actions in the city.

    “Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Dion said.

    Federal agents deploy chemical sprays at Los Angeles protest

    In Los Angeles, where Trump’s immigration surge first began last June, thousands of protesters gathered in front of city hall in the afternoon and later marched to the federal detention center. As the demonstration stretched into the evening, federal agents began using chemical sprays to push the crowd back.

    Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters joined the protest, chanting “ICE out of LA” in front of a line of officers in riot gear.

    “What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said. “And of course, they’re now trying to tear gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving.”

    The LAPD also issued a dispersal order. This video was broadcast during the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

    Nebraska student hit by SUV flying a Trump flag

    On Thursday, a student in Nebraska was hit by an SUV flying a Trump flag at a student-led protest against the immigration crackdown.

    A few students entered the street outside Fremont High School around 2 p.m. and one was hit by a vehicle that had stopped in front of the crowd, then began moving, Fremont Public Schools said in a statement.

    Officials said the student was taken to a hospital but they didn’t release details on the extent of the student’s injuries.

    Video from the scene shot by News Channel Nebraska shows a red SUV displaying a blue Trump 2024 flag accelerating as a student carrying a sign walks in the direction of the vehicle. The student is knocked onto the hood and falls onto the ground. The vehicle stops briefly and then takes off.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Emilie Megnien in Atlanta, Mae Anderson in New York, Jake Offenhartz in Minneapolis, Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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    Kimberlee Kruesi and Holly Ramer | The Associated Press

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  • Protesters close schools and stores during a nationwide strike against Trump’s immigration policies

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    Protesters held “no work, no school, no shopping” strikes across the U.S. on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    The demonstrations took place amid widespread outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

    “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.

    Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.

    Protests continue in Minneapolis

    Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.

    After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility’s restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota.” Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.

    Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

    “They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools,” she said. “Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.”

    High schoolers stage walkouts and some businesses close

    In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree (minus 18 degrees Celsius) temperatures and walked about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.

    “We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. “It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.”

    Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.

    “For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something,” the sophomore said.

    Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday’s “blackout.” Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.

    Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.

    “As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday,” they posted.

    The demonstrators called for no work, no school, and no shopping, all in efforts to fight back against President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Jessica Cunnington reports from Foley Square. 

    Maine residents revel in end of immigration enforcement surge in state

    In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said “No ICE for ME,” a play on the state’s postal code.

    Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an “enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect.” She said ICE’s actions brought “daily trauma” to the school system.

    “Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family,” Valenzuela said.

    Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE’s actions in the city.

    “Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Dion said.

    Federal agents deploy chemical sprays at Los Angeles protest

    In Los Angeles, where Trump’s immigration surge first began last June, thousands of protesters gathered in front of city hall in the afternoon and later marched to the federal detention center. As the demonstration stretched into the evening, federal agents began using chemical sprays to push the crowd back.

    Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters joined the protest, chanting “ICE out of LA” in front of a line of officers in riot gear.

    “What I see here at the detention center are people exercising their constitutional rights,” Waters said. “And of course, they’re now trying to tear gas everybody. It’s in the air, but people are not moving.”

    The LAPD also issued a dispersal order. This video was broadcast during the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

    Nebraska student hit by SUV flying a Trump flag

    On Thursday, a student in Nebraska was hit by an SUV flying a Trump flag at a student-led protest against the immigration crackdown.

    A few students entered the street outside Fremont High School around 2 p.m. and one was hit by a vehicle that had stopped in front of the crowd, then began moving, Fremont Public Schools said in a statement.

    Officials said the student was taken to a hospital but they didn’t release details on the extent of the student’s injuries.

    Video from the scene shot by News Channel Nebraska shows a red SUV displaying a blue Trump 2024 flag accelerating as a student carrying a sign walks in the direction of the vehicle. The student is knocked onto the hood and falls onto the ground. The vehicle stops briefly and then takes off.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Emilie Megnien in Atlanta, Mae Anderson in New York, Jake Offenhartz in Minneapolis, Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, Corey Williams in Detroit, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.

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    Kimberlee Kruesi and Holly Ramer | The Associated Press

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  • PHOTOS: Immigration protests in Denver as part of nationwide protests in opposition of the Trump administration’s policies.

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Students march down 16th Street Mall as part of nationwide protests in opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

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Timothy Hurst

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  • Protesters Call For Nationwide Strike Against Trump’s Immigration Policies – KXL

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    Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

    “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” said one of the many websites and social media pages promoting actions in communities around the United States.

    Some schools in Arizona, Colorado and other states preemptively canceled classes in anticipation of mass absences. Many other demonstrations were planned for students and others to gather at city centers, statehouses and churches across the country.

    Just outside Minneapolis, hundreds gathered in the frigid cold early Friday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the site of regular protests in recent weeks.

    After speeches from clergy members, demonstrators marched toward the facility’s restricted area, jeering at a line of DHS agents to “quit your jobs” and “get out of Minnesota.” Much of the group later dispersed after they were threatened with arrest by local law enforcement for blocking the road.

    Michelle Pasko, a retired communications worker, said she joined the demonstration after witnessing federal agents stopping immigrants at a bus stop near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

    “They’re roaming our streets, they’re staying in hotels near our schools,” she said. “Everyone in this country has rights, and the federal government seems to have forgotten that. We’re here to remind them.”

    A banner is raised at Golenhaven Park after students walked out of Portland’s McDaniel High School on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

    In Michigan, dozens of students walked out of Friday morning classes at Groves High School in Birmingham, north of Detroit. The students braved the zero-degree temperatures and walked about a mile to the closest business district where a number of morning commuters honked horns in support.

    “We’re here to protest ICE and what they’re doing all over the country, especially in Minnesota,” said Logan Albritton, a 17-year-old senior at Groves. “It’s not right to treat our neighbors and our fellow Americans this way.”

    Abigail Daugherty, 16, organized the walkout at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, on Friday.

    “For years, I have felt powerless, and seeing other schools in the county being able to do this, I wanted to do something,” the sophomore said.

    Numerous businesses announced they would be closed during Friday’s “blackout.” Others said they would be staying open, but donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support immigrants and provide legal aid to those facing deportation.

    Otway Restaurant and its sister Otway Bakery in New York posted on social media that its bakery would stay open and 50% of proceeds would go to the New York Immigration Coalition. The restaurant remained open as well.

    “As a small business who already took a huge financial hit this week due to the winter storm closures, we will remain open on Friday,” they posted.

    In Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that ICE is ending its surge, people gathered outside a Portland church on Friday morning, holding signs that said “No ICE for ME,” a play on the state’s postal code.

    Grace Valenzuela, an administrator with Portland Public Schools, decried an “enforcement system that treats our presence as suspect.” She said ICE’s actions brought “daily trauma” to the school system.

    “Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and belonging. ICE undermines that mission every time it destabilizes a family,” Valenzuela said.

    Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE’s actions in the city.

    “Dissent is Democratic. Dissent is American. It’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Dion said.

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • Nationwide strike called Friday to protest ICE; Don Lemon arrested for Minnesota church protest

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    Hours after federal officers arrested journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon Friday, Fort’s family, colleagues and Minnesota media leaders gathered at Minneapolis City Hall to issue a stark warning: the freedom of the press — and democracy at large — are under attack.

    Fort and Lemon were two of the journalists who entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota on Jan. 18 to cover a protest focused on one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, who also leads Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul field office.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the arrests, calling the protest a “coordinated attack.”

    Fort livestreamed the moment when she said federal officers arrived at her Twin Cities home early Friday, with her children’s weeping audible in the background.

    “This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media,” Fort said. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, constitutional rights, when you can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”

    At Friday morning’s City Hall news conference, journalist Harry Colbert Jr., vice president of the Center for Broadcast Journalism — which Fort co-founded and currently leads — addressed his fellow journalists on the other side of the camera.

    “If you think for one moment that you are protected, this is the wake-up call to let us know that [press badges] don’t stop arrests. They don’t stop the death threats that we get for doing our job. These don’t do a damn thing,” Colbert said. “Journalism is under attack. The First Amendment is under attack and democracy is crumbling. If we allow this to happen, if we allow this to happen, if we don’t speak up in the loudest voice, all of our so-called freedoms, our illusion of freedom, goes away.”

    Fort’s eldest daughter briefly took the microphone to highlight the terrifying moment of her mother’s arrest.

    “My 7- and 8-year-old sisters woke up today without a mom. My father woke up today without his wife. I’m demanding that my mom gets released. The separation of families will never be right,” Fort’s daughter said.

    Sheree Curry, co-president of the National Association of Black Journalists, noted how Fort’s independence and entrepreneurial spirit puts her at extra risk.

    “It’s very important that people like her, independent journalists especially, be protected. They do not have the same type of backing, as an independent journalist, as someone would who works for a media outlet,” Curry said. “Attacking a journalist, it is attacking all of us as citizens.”

    Jasmine McBride, editor of the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder — the state’s oldest Black-owned business — spoke about Fort’s immense impact on her life and career. McBride said she was the first hire at Fort’s BLCK Press media company.

    “[Fort] is a leader, she’s a truth teller, she’s been, she’s the most consistent person I know,” McBride said. “Her goal has always been illuminating what needs to be illuminated, illuminating the truth and standing by that, even if it means putting her in the position that she currently is today.”

    Perhaps the most impassioned speaker at Friday’s conference was Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who urged U.S. journalists to “stop pandering” to the Trump administration.

    “Stop giving them the voice that they don’t need. You have allowed them to create headlines that are false and lies. They are lying to the American public about everything that is happening, and you have allowed for them to get away with lies every single day,” Hussein said. “It is time to stand up. If you didn’t stand up for the Somali American community or our civil rights leaders, you should stand up for your colleagues, your colleagues in journalism.”

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    WCCO Staff

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  • Faith leaders protest charges against ICE observers at Whipple building

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    Almost since the time ICE arrived in Minnesota, protesters have been gathering at the Bishop Henry Whipple Building in Minneapolis, which has served as the headquarters for federal agents.

    Friday they were joined by dozens of clergy and community leaders as part of faith-based rally. 

    “I’m not here to protest but I’m here to offer support for folks if they need it,” said Nathan Lyke.

    Lyke is an Evangelical Lutheran pastor and one of the people who helped organize Friday morning’s march and rally. He said as a man of faith, he’s here to support those who are hurting. And he believes better days are ahead.

    “Can we work together for a better outcome? I do have faith. Otherwise I better be sitting at home. Look at me, I might as well be sitting on my couch and not freezing,” said Lyke.

    In addition to clergy, community leaders and educators turned out in frigid conditions. The group said their mantra is simple.

    “If it is illegal to care for our neighbors, to stand up for our neighbors, to watch out for our neighbors. To feed them. Then we are all breaking the law because we have all been doing that,” said protester, who didn’t want to be named.

    The crowd said another reason for being at the Whipple on Friday is to stand in solidarity against the prosecution of people observing ICE activity.

    They said 22 people now face federal charges. The Trump administration has said those people attacked federal agents. 

    “It’s not about Republican, liberal, Democrat, whatever the hell you want to call it. It’s about your rights. Your First, Second, Third, Fourth Amendment rights,” said Danielle Charging, a protester.

    “I think there’s a lot of anger. I think there’s a lot of fear that’s turned into anger,” said Brinsley, a protester.

    Xavier Carrigan drove from Des Moines, Iowa to be at the Whipple building.

    “It’s a no-brainer to come up here man. It’s what you do for your neighbors. It’s what you do for you neighbors in the states. It’s what you do for your neighbors in support,” said Carrigan.

    “I’ve lost my voice but I haven’t lost my will,” said Jason Chaffee.

    Chaffee said he’s been here nearly every day for weeks. On Friday, the Minneapolis musician held a drum in one hand and a gas mask in the other.

    “I just want everybody to stay safe and Minnesota strong. This community is the most amazing community I’ve ever witnessed in my life,” said Chaffee.

    Protesters said part of the purpose of Friday morning’s rally was to also honor the lives of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

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    John Lauritsen

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  • Sen. Susan Collins announces end to ICE large-scale operations in Maine after talks with Noem

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    PORTLAND, Maine — Federal immigration officials have ceased their “enhanced operations” in Maine, the site of an enforcement surge and hundreds of arrests since last week, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday.

    Collins, a Republican, announced the development after saying she had spoken directly with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

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    By Patrick Whittle, Kimberlee Kruesi and Holly Ramer | Associated Press

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  • Indigenous Americans rush to prove their citizenship amid ICE crackdown

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    When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flooded Minneapolis, Shane Mantz dug his Choctaw Nation citizenship card out of a box on his dresser and slid it into his wallet.

    Some strangers mistake the pest-control company manager for Latino, he said, and he fears getting caught up in ICE raids.

    Like Mantz, many Native Americans are carrying tribal documents proving their U.S. citizenship in case they are stopped or questioned by federal immigration agents. This is why dozens of the 575 federally recognized Native nations are making it easier to get tribal IDs. They’re waiving fees, lowering the age of eligibility — ranging from 5 to 18 nationwide — and printing the cards faster.

    It’s the first time tribal IDs have been widely used as proof of U.S. citizenship and protection against federal law enforcement, said David Wilkins, an expert on Native politics and governance at the University of Richmond.

    “I don’t think there’s anything historically comparable,” Wilkins said. “I find it terribly frustrating and disheartening.”

    As Native Americans around the country rush to secure documents proving their right to live in the United States, many see a bitter irony.

    “As the first people of this land, there’s no reason why Native Americans should have their citizenship questioned,” said Jaqueline De León, a senior staff attorney with the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund and member of Isleta Pueblo.

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond to more than four requests for comment over a week.

    Since the mid- to late 1800s, the U.S. government has kept detailed genealogical records to estimate Native Americans’ fraction of “Indian blood” and determine their eligibility for health care, housing, education and other services owed under federal legal responsibilities. Those records were also used to aid federal assimilation efforts and chip away at tribal sovereignty, communal lands and identity.

    Beginning in the late 1960s, many tribal nations began issuing their own forms of identification. In the last two decades, tribal photo ID cards have become commonplace and can be used to vote in tribal elections, to prove U.S. work eligibility and for domestic air travel.

    About 70% of Native Americans today live in urban areas, including tens of thousands in the Twin Cities, one of the largest urban Native populations in the country.

    There, in early January, a top ICE official announced the “largest immigration operation ever.”

    Masked, heavily armed agents traveling in convoys of unmarked SUVs became commonplace in some neighborhoods. By this week, more than 3,400 people had been arrested, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 2,000 ICE officers and 1,000 Border Patrol officers were on the ground.

    Representatives from at least 10 tribes traveled hundreds of miles to Minneapolis — the birthplace of the American Indian Movement — to accept ID applications from members there. Among them were the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe of Wisconsin, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa of North Dakota.

    Turtle Mountain citizen Faron Houle renewed his tribal ID card and got his young adult son’s and his daughter’s first ones.

    “You just get nervous,” Houle said. “I think (ICE agents are) more or less racial profiling people, including me.”

    Events in downtown coffee shops, hotel ballrooms, and at the Minneapolis American Indian Center helped urban tribal citizens connect and share resources, said Christine Yellow Bird, who directs the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation’s satellite office in Fargo, North Dakota.

    Yellow Bird made four trips to Minneapolis in recent weeks, putting nearly 2,000 miles on her 2017 Chevy Tahoe to help citizens in the Twin Cities who can’t make the long journey to their reservation.

    Yellow Bird said she always keeps her tribal ID with her.

    “I’m proud of who I am,” she said. “I never thought I would have to carry it for my own safety.”

    Last year, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said that several tribal citizens reported being stopped and detained by ICE officers in Arizona and New Mexico. He and other tribal leaders have advised citizens to carry tribal IDs with them at all times.

    Last November, Elaine Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon and an actress known for her roles in “Northern Exposure” and “The Last of Us,” said she was stopped by ICE officers in Washington state who told her that her tribal ID looked fake.

    The Oglala Sioux Tribe this week banned ICE from its reservation in southwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska, one of the largest in the country.

    The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota said a member was detained in Minnesota last weekend. And Peter Yazzie, who is Navajo, said he was arrested and held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix for several hours last week.

    Yazzie, a construction worker from nearby Chinle, Arizona, said he was sitting in his car at a gas station preparing for a day of work when he saw ICE officers arrest some Latino men. The officers soon turned their attention to Yazzie, pushed him to the ground, and searched his vehicle, he said.

    He said he told them where to find his driver’s license, birth certificate, and a federal Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Yazzie said the car he was in is registered to his mother. Officers said the names didn’t match, he said, and he was arrested, taken to a nearby detention center and held for about four hours.

    “It’s an ugly feeling. It makes you feel less human. To know that people see your features and think so little of you,” he said.

    DHS did not respond to questions about the arrest.

    Mantz, the Choctaw Nation citizen, said he runs pest-control operations in Minneapolis neighborhoods where ICE agents are active and he won’t leave home without his tribal identification documents.

    Securing them for his children is now a priority.

    “It gives me some peace of mind. But at the same time, why do we have to carry these documents?” Mantz said. “Who are you to ask us to prove who we are?”

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  • What ICE Should Have Learned from the Fugitive Slave Act

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    During the tumultuous period that preceded the Civil War, the United States passed a series of bills that came to be collectively known as the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise allowed for California’s entry into the Union as a free state, and outlawed the slave trade (but not slavery itself) in the District of Columbia. The most controversial element of the legislation, however, was the Fugitive Slave Act. Article IV of the Constitution already required that an enslaved person who escaped into a free state be returned to bondage, but the 1850 law created a federal bureaucracy to facilitate it. As the historian Andrew Delbanco notes in his book “The War Before the War,” a history of the national conflict over fugitive slaves, the Compromise “was meant to be a remedy and a salve, but it turned out to be an incendiary event that lit the fuse that led to civil war.”

    The law was heavily weighted, in that it offered a fee of ten dollars to magistrates who ruled that an individual should be returned to slavery, but only five to those who ruled that the person should remain free. Even more controversially, it charged federal commissioners with enforcing the law, and they worked with loosely regulated agents, who made it their own business to track down fugitives and return them to slavery. These so-deemed slave catchers had a long reputation for conducting rogue operations. As Delbanco notes, “Even free black people in the North—including those who had never been enslaved—found their lives infused with the terror of being seized and deported on the pretext that they had once belonged to someone in the South.” Given that as many as a hundred thousand people escaped slavery and found refuge in free states in the nineteenth century, fugitives represented a population residing illegally within largely sympathetic communities—a fact that incensed hard-liners on the slavery issue. Seeking a middle ground, Senator Henry Clay, of Kentucky, who introduced the Compromise, imagined that the law would placate irate Southerners who fumed at the monetary losses that escaped slaves represented, but few lawmakers foresaw the impact that it would have in the North.

    Even in the free states, attitudes toward slavery were complicated. A raft of economic, social, and religious dynamics had resulted in the abolition or prohibition of slavery, but that did not automatically mean that the entire population favored racial equality or abolition in general. (When Northern states began abolishing slavery after the American Revolution, many slaveholders opted to sell their chattel to buyers in the South rather than manumit them.) At the same time, the Fugitive Slave Act replaced the more complicated questions about the institution with a single, less complicated one: Were Northerners prepared to watch their neighbors, many of whom had lived in their communities for years, be violently removed from their homes or grabbed off the streets? For many, the answer was no.

    Attempted enforcement of the law met with immediate resistance. In 1851, an armed mob surrounded a group of agents led by a slaveholder, Edward Gorsuch, in Christiana, Pennsylvania, who were attempting to return four fugitives to his farm, in Maryland; Gorsuch was shot and killed. The four, along with others who participated in the standoff, escaped, and some reached Canada with the assistance of Frederick Douglass. In Syracuse, New York, Oberlin, Ohio, and other cities, crowds swarmed jails where captured fugitives were held in other successful efforts to free them, at the risk of their own prosecution. (In 1854, fifty thousand people filled the streets of Boston, a center of abolitionist resistance, to protest against returning Anthony Burns, a Black man who had escaped from slavery in Virginia, to that state. (When that effort failed, a group privately purchased Burns’s freedom and facilitated his return to Massachusetts.)

    The significance of this history is twofold. The Fugitive Slave Act was rhetorically useful for a certain element of the political class, but for most people it took an issue that they may have felt ambivalent about—or hadn’t much thought about at all—and gave them a direct, visceral reason to feel very strongly about it. Slavery might have been an abstract national concern, but the fate of a neighbor, whom people may have depended upon as a part of their community, was very much a personal one. Something akin to that reaction is occurring in communities across the U.S. now, as social-media feeds fill with images of children being harassed by ICE agents as they leave school and of a five-year-old boy being detained, and of adults being shoved to the ground and pepper-sprayed or pulled from their cars after agents smash the windows. The Fugitive Slave Act is remembered by historians for its ironic effect: designed as a means of cooling the simmering regional tensions over slavery, the law effectively made it the most contentious issue facing the nation. It pushed Americans toward the realization that the nation was bound in what William Seward later termed an “irrepressible conflict.”

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    Jelani Cobb

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  • AOC voices support for anti-ICE shutdown, declines to participate

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    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pledged her “full support” for a nationwide anti-ICE protest scheduled for Friday, but said her office would not participate.

    Organizers of the “National Shutdown” campaign have called for “no school, no work and no shopping” on Friday, arguing that “enough is enough” in the wake of fatal shootings involving Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis amid a federal immigration crackdown across Minnesota.

    “The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” organizers wrote on their website.

    Ocasio-Cortez, who has criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics in the state, said her office would not be shutting down.

    SENATE DEMOCRATS THREATEN SHUTDOWN BY BLOCKING DHS FUNDING AFTER MINNESOTA ICE SHOOTING

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voiced support for a nationwide anti-ICE “national shutdown” protest while saying her congressional office would remain open. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    “Full disclosure — my office handles crucial casework and immigration cases for the community. We will be open tomorrow to continue community support and defend immigrant families,” she posted to Instagram.

    Ocasio-Cortez then offered her “full support for national mobilizations, general strikes, and mass movement work.”

    Organizers for the shutdown campaign asserted online that ICE and Border Patrol agents “are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear.”

    ILHAN OMAR HIT WITH UNKNOWN SPRAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM CHAOTIC MINNEAPOLIS TOWN HALL

    AOC at a rally in Foley Square

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she supports nationwide anti-ICE protests but will not shut down her office, citing ongoing constituent and immigration casework. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

    The online campaign added that “it is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough.”

    Pretti, a 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 while recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

    Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer, who fired in self-defense after she used her Honda Pilot SUV in a way that posed a threat, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

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    Demonstrators in Los Angeles

    Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier in the day Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

    Thousands of anti-ICE protesters rallied to halt federal immigration enforcement as part of an “ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom” march across downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 23, one day before Pretti was fatally shot.

    Fox News Digital has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment.

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  • Despite border czar Homan’s vows of ICE drawdown, Minneapolis mayor says he’ll believe it when he sees it

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    Scott Sweetow, a former ATF special agent in charge in St. Paul and a firearms instructor, breaks down new details revealed by a government report about the killing of Alex Pretti.

    There is no mention in the report of Pretti brandishing his gun before the shooting. Slowed-down video of the incident shows another agent had already taken possession of Pretti’s gun.

    “Then that leaves a problem of whether your fellow officers knows that person has been disarmed or if they’re reacting to the last thing they heard. It also creates a chance that there’s going to be a use of deadly force,” Sweetow said.

    Sweetow says following a use of deadly force, agents should be on leave for at least 3 days. It’s often longer.  Federal Officials have said they’re still on the job.

    “That’s both to protect the agency, to protect the person and frankly to protect the public from someone who may really be rattled when they’re out there because they’ve had to use deadly force and you don’t want them back out there engaging in a situation where they could use deadly force again,” Sweetow said.

    During a federal investigation, he says agents’ guns are surrendered. There may be a new one issued and statements are given by everyone on the scene. 

    “It could be as simple as, ‘This is what I saw, heard, felt, smelled. This is what I perceived. I drew my weapon, I fired it. I don’t know how many rounds.’” Sweetow said.

    He says evidence collected on the scene, including any bullets and casings, plus the autopsy, will be critical in any investigation.

    “They’re going to want to get the guns, they’re going to want to see if those guns were fired,” Sweetow said.

    That includes Pretti’s gun, which the notice says was secured in an agent’s vehicle on scene.

    Sweetow’s recommendation is also to bring local or state agencies into an investigation.  He says it builds confidence and trust with the public, no matter how large or small their role is. 

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  • Minneapolis rapper Nur-D grateful to be alive after arrest by federal agents during protests

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    Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Nur-D says he thought he was going to die at the hands of federal agents last weekend amid the protests that erupted in the aftermath of Alex Pretti being shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents.

    More at home in the studio, it was the events of Jan. 24 that forced him out of his comfort zone and into the streets.

    “This is real, this is life or death. You could die from saying, ‘I don’t like this,’” said Nur-D. “I went out there to voice my hurt, voice my pain, to exercise my First Amendment right, to say I just don’t think it’s cool to kill people in the street.” 

    While taking part in the protest, Nur-D says things got hectic.

    “There are these flash bangs, and there is gas everywhere. So, I walk calmly, I walk slowly with my hands up. I was just being grabbed by somebody, and so I began to run. And as I was thrown to the ground, I was told I was under arrest for assaulting a federal officer, that’s what I was told,” said Nur-D.

    He says he was hit in the back by some sort of projectile, and while on the ground, he kept repeating one phrase, thinking they would be the last words he would ever say.

    “I said my name is Matthew James Obidiah Allen. I am a United States citizen. I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.

    Nur-D says he is proud to be a Minnesotan and glad to see his state standing up to what he calls an occupation by federal agents. 

    “I’m grateful I’m alive, I’m here, I’m able to hug my wife and see friends, and that’s something that wasn’t guaranteed in that moment,” said Nur-D.

    An artist known for his storytelling says he will use his platform to tell the story of what’s happening here in Minnesota.

    “I get to use my voice to say we are done with this,” said Nur-D.

    Nur-D says he’s got a team of attorneys to represent him as he pursues legal action against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.

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    Reg Chapman

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  • Trump backlash over ICE builds across American culture, from The Boss to Sam Altman to Martha Stewart | Fortune

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    No longer confined to the partisans and activists, the fierce backlash against Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has begun to break out across American culture, spanning the worlds of business, sports and entertainment.

    Bruce Springsteen released a new song Wednesday that slammed “Trump’s federal thugs.” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman told employees that “what’s happening with ICE is going too far,” referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And lifestyle icon Martha Stewart lamented that “we can be attacked and even killed.”

    “Things must and have to change quickly and peacefully,” Stewart wrote to her 2.9 million Instagram followers this week.

    A little more than one year into his second term, Trump is facing a broad cultural revolt that threatens to undermine his signature domestic priority, the Republican Party’s grip on power and his own political strength ahead of the midterm elections.

    Trump, a former reality television star often attuned to changes in public opinion, tried to shift the conversation this week by dispatching border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to replace Greg Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who has been a lightning rod.

    But it’s unclear if the move will change anything on the ground.

    Thousands of federal agents remain in Minnesota, where two U.S. citizens have been killed and communities have felt besieged by Trump’s crackdown. Meanwhile, operations have expanded into Maine as well.

    White House is ‘spooked’

    Republican strategist Doug Heye said it’s too soon to know whether Trump’s attempt to control the fallout will work. He’s been in communication with Republican leaders across Washington in recent days who are worried that the escalating situation could jeopardize control of Congress in this fall’s midterm elections.

    “It’s very clear that the administration is spooked,” Heye said.

    And while some in the party may be concerned, Trump’s Make America Great Again base remains largely unified behind him and the immigration crackdown that he promised repeatedly on the campaign trail. They’re pushing the president not to back down.

    “It’s time for President Trump to ramp up mass deportations even more,” Laura Loomer, a Trump loyalist who has the president’s ear, told The Associated Press. “And if Minnesota is any barometer, it’s time for the focus to be on deporting as many Muslims as possible.”

    Such advice is at odds with a growing faction of prominent voices across American culture.

    Who is speaking out?

    Joe Rogan, a leading podcast host who endorsed Trump during his comeback campaign, said he sympathizes with concerns about immigration agents’ tactics.

    “Are we really going to be the Gestapo?” Rogan said. “’Where’s your papers?’ Is that what we’ve come to?”

    Over the weekend, more than 60 corporate executives, including the leaders of Target, Best Buy and UnitedHealth, released a public letter calling for de-escalation following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse fatally shot during a confrontation with federal agents.

    The outcry intensified as the week progressed.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday issued a memo to employees saying he was “heartbroken by the events in Minneapolis.”

    “I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace our shared humanity,” Cook wrote in the memo, first reported by Bloomberg News.

    Tech billionaire and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla used stronger language on social media to condemn “macho ICE vigilantes running amuck.”

    Jason Calacanis, a prominent tech podcaster, on Wednesday warned of dire consequences for Trump if he does not make sweeping changes among the people running the immigration crackdown.

    “President Trump needs to replace them all and reverse his plummeting ratings, or the entire Trump 2.0 agenda is over,” Calacanis wrote to his 1 million X followers. “America needs to put this dark and disgusting chapter behind us and unite behind a crisper immigration policy.”

    Actors and musicians speak up

    More outrage came from the entertainment industry, which is often viewed as a liberal bastion.

    Springsteen dropped his new song, “The Streets of Minneapolis,” on Wednesday. The famed musician referenced Pretti’s death directly.

    “Trump’s federal thugs beat up on his face and his chest. Then we heard the gunshots. And Alex Pretti lay in the snow, dead,” Springsteen sings.

    Other actors and entertainers who spoke out in recent days include Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish. Actor Mark Ruffalo described Pretti’s death as “cold-blooded murder.”

    The sports world has also begun to engage.

    Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch called the shootings “unconscionable” and expressed support for protesters. So did superstar NBA player Steph Curry.

    “There’s a lot of change that needs to happen,” Curry, who plays for the Golden State Warriors, told reporters this week. He said he’s been glued to news coverage of the latest Minnesota shooting.

    Guerschon Yabusele, of the New York Knicks, went further the day after Pretti’s shooting.

    “I can’t remain silent. What’s happening is beyond comprehension,” he wrote on X. “We’re talking about murders here, these are serious matters. The situation must change, the government must stop operating in this way. I stand with Minnesota.”

    Trump may be getting the message

    Trump appears to be softening his tone on immigration — at least by his standards.

    “We’re going to de-escalate a little bit,” he said during a Tuesday interview on Fox News. He also chided Bovino, whom he displaced from his role.

    “Bovino is very good, but he’s a pretty out-there kind of a guy,” he said. “In some cases, that’s good. Maybe it wasn’t good here.”

    But Trump pushed back on the characterization that he was scaling back his operations in Minnesota. And in a social media post, he warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that he was “PLAYING WITH FIRE” by refusing to enforce federal immigration laws.

    Even before Pretti’s death Saturday, public opinion was starting to turn against Trump on immigration, which was among his strongest issues at the beginning of his second term.

    Just 38% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling immigration, down from 49% in March. That’s according to an AP-NORC poll conducted Jan. 8-11, shortly after the first shooting death of a U.S. citizen in Minnesota.

    There’s also some indication that Trump’s approval on immigration could be slipping among Republicans. The president’s approval among self-described Republicans fell from 88% in March to 76% in the January AP-NORC poll.

    A separate Fox News poll, which was conducted Friday through Monday, found that 59% of voters described ICE as “too aggressive,” a 10-point increase since last July.

    ___

    AP writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed.

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    Steve Peoples, The Associated Press

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  • Gov. Mikie Sherrill urges residents to record ICE agents in New Jersey

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    Gov. Mikie Sherrill says her administration plans to create an online portal for people to document the presence of federal immigration agents in New Jersey. On ‘The Daily Show,’ Sherrill urged residents to record ICE agents in action.

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    Molly McVety

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  • Homan says CBP, ICE working on “drawdown” plan in Minnesota, but says “I’m staying ’til the problem is gone”

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    Border czar Tom Homan gave his first news conference Thursday morning since arriving in Minnesota at the request of President Trump, and said “a lot of progress” has been made since he arrived.

    While Homan said that the plan is to facilitate a “drawdown” in federal immigration enforcement forces in Minnesota, he added, “I’m staying ’til the problem’s gone.”

    “I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. I came to seek solutions, and we’ve come a long way, and we’ve got some good wins for the people of Minnesota,” he said.

    He said while he has had some disagreements with state and Minneapolis leaders since he’s arrived, he said everyone agrees that “community safety is paramount.”

    “You can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions,” he said.

    Homan confirmed the Minnesota Department of Corrections has been honoring federal immigration detainers, and that will expand.

    “That decision has made Minnesota safer … and the men and women of law enforcement, not just ICE,” he said.

    U.S. House Democrats held a caucus call Wednesday evening, two sources confirmed to CBS News. During the call, Leader Jeffries urged Democrats to hold firm and continue to hold ICE accountable. Separately, a source confirms that a letter was sent earlier this week to Democratic offices from House Democratic leadership staff advising that members should avoid visiting Minnesota and stay in their districts for security reasons. 

    Another email sent to House Democrats said, “Leadership is working with the MN Delegation offices and Governor Walz’s team to develop a plan for strategic engagement that will not unduly burden law enforcement and our colleagues on the ground in MN right now.”

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

    Nikole Killion

    contributed to this report.

    In:

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  • US appeals court says Secretary Noem’s decision to end protections for Venezuelans in US was illegal

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    A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States.A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans.The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.An email late Wednesday night to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.The 9th Circuit panel also upheld the lower court’s finding that Noem exceeded her authority when she decided to end TPS early for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti.A federal judge in Washington is expected to rule any day now on a request to pause the termination of TPS for Haiti while a separate lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The country’s TPS designation is scheduled to end on Feb. 3.Ninth Circuit Judges Kim Wardlaw, Salvador Mendoza, Jr. and Anthony Johnstone said in Wednesday’s ruling that the TPS legislation passed by Congress did not give the secretary the power to vacate an existing TPS designation. All three judges were nominated by Democratic presidents.“The statute contains numerous procedural safeguards that ensure individuals with TPS enjoy predictability and stability during periods of extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home country,” Judge Kim Wardlaw, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, wrote for the panel.Wardlaw said Noem’s “unlawful actions have had real and significant consequences” for Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States who rely on TPS.“The record is replete with examples of hard-working, contributing members of society — who are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and partners of U.S. citizens, pay taxes, and have no criminal records — who have been deported or detained after losing their TPS,” she wrote.Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, authorized by Congress as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, allows the Homeland Security secretary to grant legal immigration status to people fleeing countries experiencing civil strife, environmental disaster or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that prevent a safe return to that home country.Designations are granted for terms of six, 12 or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire. The status prevents holders from being deported and allows them to work, but it does not give them a path to citizenship.In ending the protections, Noem said that conditions in both Haiti and Venezuela had improved and that it was not in the national interest to allow immigrants from the two countries to stay on for what is a temporary program.Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger. The country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government.Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people, and left more than 1 million homeless. Haitians face widespread hunger and gang violence.Mendoza wrote separately that there was “ample evidence of racial and national origin animus” that reinforced the lower court’s conclusion that Noem’s decisions were “preordained and her reasoning pretextual.”“It is clear that the Secretary’s vacatur actions were not actually grounded in substantive policy considerations or genuine differences with respect to the prior administration’s TPS procedures, but were instead rooted in a stereotype-based diagnosis of immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti as dangerous criminals or mentally unwell,” he wrote.Attorneys for the government have argued the secretary has clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program and those decisions are not subject to judicial review. They have also denied that her actions were motived by racial animus.

    A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it ended legal protections that gave hundreds of thousands of people from Venezuela permission to live and work in the United States.

    A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status for Venezuelans.

    The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.

    An email late Wednesday night to the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned.

    The 9th Circuit panel also upheld the lower court’s finding that Noem exceeded her authority when she decided to end TPS early for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti.

    A federal judge in Washington is expected to rule any day now on a request to pause the termination of TPS for Haiti while a separate lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The country’s TPS designation is scheduled to end on Feb. 3.

    Ninth Circuit Judges Kim Wardlaw, Salvador Mendoza, Jr. and Anthony Johnstone said in Wednesday’s ruling that the TPS legislation passed by Congress did not give the secretary the power to vacate an existing TPS designation. All three judges were nominated by Democratic presidents.

    “The statute contains numerous procedural safeguards that ensure individuals with TPS enjoy predictability and stability during periods of extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home country,” Judge Kim Wardlaw, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, wrote for the panel.

    Wardlaw said Noem’s “unlawful actions have had real and significant consequences” for Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States who rely on TPS.

    “The record is replete with examples of hard-working, contributing members of society — who are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and partners of U.S. citizens, pay taxes, and have no criminal records — who have been deported or detained after losing their TPS,” she wrote.

    Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, authorized by Congress as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, allows the Homeland Security secretary to grant legal immigration status to people fleeing countries experiencing civil strife, environmental disaster or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that prevent a safe return to that home country.

    Designations are granted for terms of six, 12 or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire. The status prevents holders from being deported and allows them to work, but it does not give them a path to citizenship.

    In ending the protections, Noem said that conditions in both Haiti and Venezuela had improved and that it was not in the national interest to allow immigrants from the two countries to stay on for what is a temporary program.

    Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger. The country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government.

    Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people, and left more than 1 million homeless. Haitians face widespread hunger and gang violence.

    Mendoza wrote separately that there was “ample evidence of racial and national origin animus” that reinforced the lower court’s conclusion that Noem’s decisions were “preordained and her reasoning pretextual.”

    “It is clear that the Secretary’s vacatur actions were not actually grounded in substantive policy considerations or genuine differences with respect to the prior administration’s TPS procedures, but were instead rooted in a stereotype-based diagnosis of immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti as dangerous criminals or mentally unwell,” he wrote.

    Attorneys for the government have argued the secretary has clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program and those decisions are not subject to judicial review. They have also denied that her actions were motived by racial animus.

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  • Video appears to show Alex Pretti spit at federal agents, violently damage SUV days before fatal CBP shooting

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    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    New video appears to show Alex Pretti spitting at federal agents and damaging a government SUV days before he was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.

    The News Movement released the video – reportedly recorded Jan. 13 – on Wednesday, showing a man resembling Pretti, with a beard, glasses and clothing similar to what he was wearing when he was killed.

    The man is seen shouting and spitting at federal agents before kicking the taillight of a federal SUV, causing it to break.

    As he shouts “f— you” repeatedly and flashes double middle fingers, agents exit the vehicle, approach him and take him to the ground.

    DHS SAYS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOUGHT AMID PRETTI SHOOTING HAD VIOLENT DOMESTIC HISTORY

    A man, who appears to be Alex Pretti, was caught on camera in Minnesota spitting at federal agents and damaging a government SUV before he was fatally shot. (The News Movement)

    Agents sprayed pepper balls and tear gas toward a nearby crowd of agitators as the altercation continued, though the man was ultimately released.

    After stepping away from agents, what appears to be a gun is visible in his waistband.

    Rather than leave the scene, he remained with other demonstrators who continued shouting obscenities at federal law enforcement officers.

    TRUMP SAYS WALZ WANTS TO ‘WORK TOGETHER’ AS MINNEAPOLIS TENSIONS FLARE AFTER FEDERAL SHOOTING

    Man with hat and jacket.

    Video appears to show Alex Pretti in a violent encounter with federal agents in Minnesota just days before he was fatally shot by CBP agents. (The News Movement)

    Alex Pretti’s family confirmed to The Minnesota Star Tribune that the person seen in the video is Alex Pretti.

    “A week before Alex was gunned down in the street – despite posing no threat to anyone – he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents,” Steve Schleicher, attorney for the Pretti family, told Fox News. “Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24.”

    The 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

    JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM ‘DESTROYING OR ALTERING’ EVIDENCE IN DEADLY MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING

    Federal agents tackling a man on the street.

    Video appears to show Alex Pretti kick in the taillight of a federal vehicle before he’s taken down by federal agents and released. (The News Movement)

    Video from the shooting appears to show him attempting to assist a woman who had been knocked to the ground by agents before he was sprayed with a chemical irritant, forced to the pavement and struck.

    The footage then shows an agent removing what authorities described as a suspected firearm – a 9mm pistol – from his waistband as other agents fired nearly a dozen rounds.

    Officials said one Border Patrol agent fired a CBP-issued Glock 19, while another fired a CBP-issued Glock 47.

    NEW DETAILS TO CONGRESS REVEAL GUNS USED, BODYCAM FOOTAGE IN FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA NURSE

    A law enforcement officer deploys a chemical spray toward a man during a confrontation on a city street.

    A screengrab from a video shows a law enforcement officer spraying irritants at Alex Pretti before he was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Reuters)

    Before the shooting, agents were conducting enforcement operations as civilians shouted and blew whistles, with authorities saying the crowd was instructed to remain on the sidewalk to avoid interfering with law enforcement activity.

    Authorities said he resisted when agents attempted to take him into custody, leading to a physical struggle.

    During the struggle, an unidentified Border Patrol agent can be heard repeatedly shouting that the man was armed, according to the report.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    The shooting marked the second fatal incident in Minneapolis in recent weeks involving federal immigration agents amid heightened tensions over enforcement operations and clashes with anti-ICE demonstrators.

    Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

    Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

    Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.

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