Minneapolis communities remain on edge after weeks of aggressive federal immigration operations, controversial transfers of detainees to distant centers and two fatal shootings involving federal agents. Local volunteers, nonprofits and schools have mobilized to train legal observers, deliver food to families sheltering at home and maintain memorials for the victims. Officials say about 700 agents will be withdrawn, but more than 2,000 federal personnel are expected to remain — a presence that continues to stoke fear and motivate sustained protests and legal action.
Families in Hiding, Volunteers on Watch: Minneapolis After the ICE ‘Drawdown’
An 11-year-old girl shares her story after her mother was detained in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on February 5. - Austin Steele/CNN
With dark hair spilling from a bright pink beanie, an 11-year-old girl from Ecuador calmly described the last time she saw her mother leave their small South Minneapolis apartment after more than a month at home. The mother warned her, “Bye, dear, take good care of yourself,” and the child — whose name is withheld because of her age — responded, “Mami, please be careful.” That was the last time she saw her mother before federal agents took her into custody.
Raids, Transfers and a Partial Drawdown
In recent weeks, aggressive federal immigration operations in the Twin Cities have left many families afraid to leave their homes. The Department of Homeland Security deployed roughly 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota under Operation Metro Surge. Days after a high-profile arrest of an Ecuadorian woman — who was briefly transferred more than 1,400 miles to a Texas detention center before a federal judge ordered her return to Minnesota — White House border official Tom Homan announced a planned pullback of about 700 personnel. Even after that reduction, officials say more than 2,000 agents would remain in the region, a force that still far outnumbers the Minneapolis Police Department.
Two Fatal Shootings Intensify Tensions
Tensions escalated after two fatal shootings in January involving federal agents: Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. The deaths galvanized public outcry and intensified scrutiny of federal tactics, prompting nightly vigils and sprawling memorials near the shooting sites. Volunteers maintain the memorials, leaving flowers, candles and messages, and sitting through harsh winter nights to guard them.
Community Response: Observers, Deliveries and Legal Support
Neighbors and volunteers have organized as legal observers and relief workers. Small groups of residents now monitor federal activity — converging on sidewalks or in cars to honk horns and blow whistles as warnings, escorting workers to jobs, and watching student drop-offs at schools. Local nonprofits, businesses and school staff are assembling food, baby formula, diapers and other essentials and delivering them to households too fearful to venture out.
One volunteer coalition, Monarca, has trained thousands on their rights as observers; more than 400 people attended one Saint Paul training and about 190 signed up to serve as observers, according to Unidos MN. Trainers emphasize safety protocols, documentation techniques and the legal value of video evidence while warning about risks such as verbal confrontations, pepper spray and arrest.
Impact on Schools and Children
Schools report growing fear among families. At Valley View Elementary in Columbia Heights, principal Jason Kuhlman says the school now delivers groceries to roughly 140 families weekly and that about 100 of the school’s 570 students are learning virtually. Approximately 66% of students are Latino, many from Ecuador; Kuhlman estimates nearly 30 students or their caregivers have been detained during the sweeps.
A widely circulated photograph showed 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos wearing a blue bunny hat and a Spider-Man backpack as a federal officer loomed over him while he and his father were detained after school. The father and son were flown to the family detention center in Dilley, Texas; a judge later ordered their release and they have returned to Minneapolis, though their asylum case continues.
Personal Stories and Legal Action
The 11-year-old whose mother was arrested says she has spoken with her mother by phone since the transfer and that an attorney, John Hayden, secured court action that led to the mother’s return to a Minneapolis facility. Hayden requested anonymity for his client because she has applied for asylum and fears retaliation. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment for this report.
Volunteers guarding memorials include a traveling photographer who paused his project to tend a vigil and community members who say they personally know dozens of people detained in recent weeks. Many local leaders describe the moment as a moral turning point: clergy, writers and everyday neighbors say they can no longer remain silent while families live in fear.
What Comes Next
Organizers and community leaders predict prolonged activism, legal challenges and continued monitoring of federal activity. Even with the announced drawdown, many residents say the federal presence remains large enough to keep families indoors. For now, neighbors are training, documenting and delivering basic needs — and watching closely for the next move by federal authorities.
An 11-year-old girl talks about staying home for weeks before her mother was detained in Minneapolis. - Austin Steele/CNN
People walk by posters for Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, on February 4. - Austin Steele/CNN
A band plays hymns near the Alex Pretti memorial in Minneapolis, on February 4. - Austin Steele/CNN
Laura Purdie Salas holds a sign protesting ICE at a Minneapolis intersection. - Austin Steele/CNN
Bishop Kevin Kenney of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis at St. Olaf Church in Minneapolis, on February 5. - Austin Steele/CNN
Karmit speaks during an ICE observer training at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 4. - Austin Steele/CNN
More than 400 people attended a training sessions for ICE observers in St. Paul. - Austin Steele/CNN
Whistles are available to participants at an ICE observer training session at a church in St. Paul. - Austin Steele/CNN
Hundreds of people filled pews during a training session for ICE observers in St. Paul, Minnesota, on February 4, 2026. - Austin Steele/CNN
People stop at a memorial for Renee Good in Minneapolis, on February 4. - Austin Steele/CNN
Leaves colored and noted by students at Valley View Elementary School are seen in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, on February 5. - Austin Steele/CNN
Principal Jason Kuhlman stands in his office at Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. - Austin Steele/CNN
Liam Ramos’ cubby in his classroom at Valley View Elementary School in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. - Austin Steele/CNN
An 11-year-old girl is in hiding after her mother was detained in Minneapolis. - Austin Steele/CNN
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