Dear Neighbors, 

I wish I could use this column to highlight Minnesota’s new best-in-the-nation Paid Leave program, which went into effect on January 1st, or the series of rural healthcare listening sessions I organized across southern Minnesota during the last two months of 2025, or even how important state and federal funding is for keeping childcare centers open so parents can try to afford their lives amidst increasing costs and stagnating wages. 

I’ll have the chance to talk about those things in future columns, but for now, I need to address the unconstitutional actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota, the Trump administration, and the senseless killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent last week. This tragedy, one of many we’ve had to endure as Minnesotans in the last 12 months, comes as President Trump has clearly put Minnesota in the crosshairs, using our immigrant neighbors as a scapegoat and leaving entire communities targeted, devastated, and fearful. 

Renee should be alive today, spending time with her children, family, and friends. The rush of some in the Trump Administration to demonize her, a woman they didn’t know, and blame her for her own death is absolutely unacceptable. 

Since last Wednesday’s tragedy, instead of toning down the rhetoric or calling back the over 2,000 federal agents deploying onto Minnesota’s streets, the Trump administration has doubled down on its efforts to terrorize our communities and make our state less safe. 

The federal government is also making it more difficult for Minnesota’s law enforcement officers to do their jobs. It’s common practice for agencies in a jurisdiction to share resources in the aftermath of such a high-profile and sensitive case, but Trump’s FBI has blocked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, made up of career law enforcement specialists, from accessing crucial evidence and information. 

This will not get us closer to the truth and justice, far from it. I hope my colleagues across the aisle join us in calling for transparency in this investigation and accountability. 

The reality is that President Trump’s stated goal of surging federal agents into Minnesota was to make us safer, but we’ve seen the complete opposite instead. In the last week, ICE officers have killed a mom in broad daylight and then denied her medical care, they have entered school property and tackled students, used chemical agents and handcuffed staff, they have arrested countless U.S. citizens, and they have denied our U.S. Representatives from entering a public federal building to conduct oversight on ICE. 

The actions across our state echo what we’ve already seen in Northfield, where officers forcibly removed Adan Nunez Gonzalez from his car and deported him without due process last November. We also have not seen due process in the cases of Marvin, a Northfield father who was driving his child to school when he was detained, and Jadiel, who came to the U.S. when he was 1 year old and has a pending DACA application. These were not “the worst of the worst,” as Trump claims, and they did not receive the due process required by the U.S. Constitution. 

This surge is not about public safety. It’s about scaring our neighbors and continuing to chip away at the rule of law. 

Despite all the darkness, I was heartened to see so many Northfielders show up this Saturday at Bridge Square and use their First Amendment right to protest ICE’s actions. The Trump Administration wants us to be scared into silence so they can continue to push their false narratives about the actions of ICE in our state and paint our neighbors as dangerous. But we know better. Together, we must continue to protest peacefully for what is right, take care of one another, and fight for a more just future for everyone who calls Minnesota home. 

Finally, I want to share a list of resources compiled by my colleagues in the Senate DFL, which includes Know Your Rights information, legal assistance, emergency contacts, and more. 

As always, I am here to help and support in whatever way possible. You can email my office at [email protected] or call 651-296-0171, and we will respond as soon as we can. In the event of an emergency, please use one of the hotlines included in the resources above.