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Saturday February 7, 2026

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Governor Walz Weekly Briefing
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Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison Demand Answers on Number of Children Incarcerated

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Governor Walz speaks to press at the State Capitol

Governor Walz joined Attorney General Keith Ellison, education, health, and public safety leaders to discuss the growing harm federal immigration enforcement actions are causing to children, families, and Minnesota schools. Educators, social workers, and families shared firsthand accounts of fear in school communities, sharp declines in attendance, and disruptions to learning and wellbeing tied to recent federal activity near schools and child care centers.

*“What we are seeing is not public safety—it’s chaos,”* said Governor Walz. *“When parents are afraid to send their kids to school, when classrooms sit half-empty, and when children are taken to detention facilities on their way to learn, we’ve crossed a line. This is beyond unacceptable. Minnesotans need to know how many children are in detention facilities, who they are, and where they’re being held.”*

*“Kidnapping young children is a feature, not a bug, of Trump’s campaign of revenge and retribution against Minnesota,”* said Attorney General Ellison. *“It is immoral, but it shouldn’t be a surprise, since he already tried cutting all legal funding for food assistance and child care for Minnesota’s children. We beat him in court on both those efforts to punish our kids; now federal agents are detaining them and using them as hostages. A courageous federal judge ordering Liam and his father freed is welcome news — now we need to get all of our children the federal government is holding hostage back home to Minnesota. I will keep matching the bravery of the Ramos family and the community in fighting to end this illegal and unconstitutional surge.”*

Governor Walz sent a letter [ [link removed] ] to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding details about the number of children currently held in federal detention facilities, who they are, and where they’re being held.

Since December 1, 2025, over 600 individuals have filed cases in federal district in Minnesota challenging their detention. Minnesota’s federal bench, including those appointed by President Trump, has said clearly and uniformly that DHS’s detention practices are not following the law. 

Educators and state leaders report that fear is keeping children home, driving steep attendance declines, and forcing schools to deliver meals to absent students. Officials warn that prolonged absenteeism harms learning, school funding, and children’s mental and physical health, while fear and instability deepen trauma and erode trust in institutions meant to protect families.

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Governor Walz Encourages Minnesotans to Support Small Businesses Amid Federal Presence

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Governor Walz Encourages Minnesotans to Support Small Businesses Amid Federal Presence

Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the launch of "“Shop Local, Stand Together,” " a new campaign encouraging Minnesotans to support small, locally owned businesses—particularly those which have seen reduced foot traffic and heightened fear and uncertainty due to the ongoing federal presence in Minnesota. 

*“The federal presence in Minnesota has been especially tough on our local businesses,*” said Governor Walz. *“Minnesotans have a long tradition of supporting one another in peaceful, actionable ways. Choosing to shop local, grab takeout, or visit a neighborhood store is one way we can stand with our neighbors and continue to show the nation what it means to respond with care and decency.”*

Governor Walz has proclaimed February as Shop Local Month [ [link removed] ] in Minnesota. Through this campaign, DEED and the State of Minnesota are partnering with local governments, economic development organizations, and business associations to promote community-based support for small businesses and connect owners with available resources.

Governor Walz greets Minnesotans at Lomabonita Market in Richfield
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ICYMI: Tim Walz: The Un-American Assault on Minnesota

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Governor Walz wrote an op-ed, originally published in the Wall Street Journal [ [link removed] ]. The full piece is available below.

*Tim Walz: The Un-American Assault on Minnesota
*"
The Trump administration’s assault on Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state. It isn’t just. It isn’t legal. And, critically, it isn’t making anyone any safer."

"Quite the opposite: Immigration agents have now shot and killed two of our neighbors: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. And there are countless other stories of protesters and bystanders being physically attacked by federal agents, to say nothing of the chaos and violence being unleashed against the targets of these raids, many of whom have done nothing wrong except exist as a person of color."

"The pretext for all this is the Trump administration’s insistence that our immigration laws would otherwise go unenforced. This federal occupation of Minnesota is, administration officials insist, about our predilection for releasing “violent criminal illegal aliens” from state custody."

"I can’t stress this enough: The Trump administration has its facts wrong about Minnesota."

"The administration claims that Minnesota jails release “the worst of the worst.” In reality, the Minnesota Department of Corrections honors all federal and local detainers by notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person committed to its custody isn’t a U.S. citizen. There is not a single documented case of the department’s releasing someone from state prison without offering to ensure a smooth transfer of custody."

"Yet the lies persist. This week, ICE tweeted that rural Cottonwood County had refused to honor a detainer for an alleged child sex predator. That’s not true. The county sheriff followed procedure and contacted ICE when the subject posted bail, but ICE agents were too busy wreaking havoc in the Twin Cities to do their actual job and pick the prisoner up."

"Some of the administration’s claims are ridiculous on their face. For example: It claims that 1,360 non-U.S. citizens are in Minnesota prisons. The truth: Our total state prison population is roughly 8,000, and only 207 of them are noncitizens."

"Earlier this month, the administration published what it claimed was a list of people who have been arrested as part of this ICE sweep, asserting that this list represents “the worst of the worst” criminals, and implying that we have been protecting them from capture."

"Minnesota Public Radio investigated this claim and found it to be completely false: “Most of the people on the list had been immediately transferred to ICE custody at the end of time served in Minnesota prisons. All of those transfers happened before ICE began its surge of operations in Minnesota on Dec. 1, 2025, with some even happening years before.”"

"In other words, ICE is taking credit for arrests that state and local law enforcement made, activity that took place before this assault on our state even began."

"Everyone wants to see our immigration laws enforced. That isn’t what is happening in Minnesota. In recent weeks, masked agents have abducted children. They have separated children from their parents. They have racially profiled off-duty police officers. They have aggressively pulled people over and demanded to see their papers. They have broken into the homes of elderly citizens without warrants to drag them outside in freezing temperatures."

"That isn’t effective law enforcement. It isn’t following the rule of law. It’s chaos. It’s illegal. And it’s un-American."

"I have repeatedly appealed to President Trump to lower the temperature. But he refuses. I fear that his hope is for the tension between ICE agents and the communities they’re ransacking to boil over—that he wants you to see more chaos on your TV screens, protests turn into riots, more people get hurt."

"Minnesotans aren’t taking the bait. They are protesting—loudly and urgently, but also peacefully. They are helping their neighbors cope with this violent, lawless assault on people of color throughout the state—walking children to school safely, preparing mutual-aid packages, and organizing to make sure these atrocities are well-documented so that those responsible can face justice."

"Minnesota is a state that believes in the rule of law and in the dignity of all people. We know that true public safety comes from trust, respect and shared purpose, not from intimidation or political theater."

"This assault on our communities is not necessary to enforce our immigration laws. We don’t have to choose between open borders and whatever the hell this is. Mr. Trump can and must end this unlawful, violent and chaotic campaign, and we can and must rebuild an immigration enforcement system that is secure, accountable and humane."

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Social Media Post of the Week

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Governor Walz discusses the impact of federal presence on Minnesota families [ [link removed] ]





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