The parents of a Minneapolis high school graduate have stayed inside for weeks, too fearful to attend their daughter’s ceremony amid a sweeping immigration enforcement operation that DHS says led to about 3,000 arrests. The 53-year-old mother has a pending 2024 work-permit application and both parents avoid public life after nearby detentions and deaths raised their fears. Relying on a pastor-led mutual-aid network, the family is weighing whether to remain in the U.S. or return to Mexico while coping with disrupted plans and deep anxiety.
Minneapolis Family Hides Amid Immigration Sweep, Parents Miss Daughter’s Graduation
The mother and father of a family with mixed immigration status have remained indoors for weeks. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
A south Minneapolis mother cried as her daughter finished getting ready for high school graduation, knowing she could not attend the ceremony because stepping outside felt too dangerous. The graduate wore a white dress and cowboy boots as a tribute to her parents' Mexican roots; her mother asked, in Spanish, for the girl to take her coat so she could 'carry a little of me' during the ceremony.
The family have watched immigration enforcement and protests play out from their phones and TV. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
The mother has not left the house in two months and watched the graduation via livestream because she fears deportation amid a large immigration enforcement operation — described by the Department of Homeland Security as involving roughly 3,000 arrests — sweeping Minneapolis. The girl's father has also stayed inside for weeks after closing his small service business indefinitely. The couple asked that their names and the business not be published to protect their privacy.
Daily tasks, like taking out the trash, have become fraught with anxiety for the family. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
All of the couple's adult children are U.S. citizens; the two oldest have protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The two youngest daughters, ages 18 and 19, still live at home and depend on their parents. The family is weighing whether to remain in the U.S. or return to Mexico as fears about enforcement and recent deaths connected to enforcement activity have intensified their anxiety.
As a result of the parents' confinement, the family dog also only goes outside in a limited capacity. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
Daily life has been upended. The husband, 58, began staying indoors after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and after several friends and relatives were detained, he said. The wife, 53, stopped leaving the house roughly a week after the family moved into a new rental in December because she feared a pending 2024 work-permit application might draw attention.
The mother made tamales and champurrado, a hot chocolate drink, from scratch on a frigid winter morning. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
Small, ordinary tasks now carry risk: one daughter takes out the trash, the family avoids walking their dog and the father will not collect packages left at the doorstep for fear it could identify them to immigration agents. Their home holds visible signs of isolation — stacked cases of bottled water, deliveries left by a local pastor and a brown labradoodle in a diaper who rarely goes outside.
The mother had hoped to sell colorful desserts and Mexican dishes through a small catering operation. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
Pastor Sergio Amezcua of Dios Habla Hoy church has organized a mutual-aid network of about 5,000 volunteers delivering food and water to nearly 28,000 people who fear leaving their homes. Amezcua said demand surged after incidents linked to enforcement and expressed shock when the family called to ask for help.
The parents said they appreciate the solidarity shown by protesters in Minneapolis. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
The couple had planned for the wife to sell homemade desserts and Mexican dishes and for the husband to be closer to work, but the enforcement operation forced those plans to a halt. The wife still keeps a folded copy of her pending work-permit application and some Mexican pesos in her wallet at all times, she said, in case agents arrive.
The couple say the constant anxiety and weeks indoors have taken a toll, affecting their sleep and their health. (Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)(Christian Monterrosa for NBC News)
Context And Consequences
Their two eldest children arrived in the U.S. as young children and obtained DACA protections, but the parents remain undocumented and face long delays and uncertainty when applying for legal status. The husband says he never pursued citizenship because he believed it was financially and logistically out of reach.
Both parents report disrupted sleep, anxiety and physical symptoms tied to isolation. The husband, who has diabetes, continues to receive insulin through his doctor. The family has reached out to relatives in both the United States and Mexico as they consider next steps.
'At this point anything can happen,' the husband said. 'We still love this country, but with everything that’s happening, I’m determined to leave.'
Despite fear and uncertainty, the parents take comfort in their children's achievements. As the graduate applied a final touch of makeup, she said she is considering joining the National Guard, a decision that can sometimes create pathways to legal relief for family members. Her father said simply, 'I came here to give them a different life. Now they have it.'
This article is based on reporting originally published by NBC News.
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