🚨 ICE activities escalate in the TC

ICE Activities Escalate in the Twin Cities

A federal raid at the Bro-Tex paper distributor in St. Paul rocked the community. ICE, FBI, and HSI agents were all present at the scene and clashed with protestors. Here's what we know about the escalating immigration enforcement activities in the Twin Cities. [MPR]

• Tuesday's ICE raid: Per a statement from ICE, the agency was executing a search warrant "in furtherance of a federal criminal investigation." Agents arrived at the Bro-Tex textile plant around 9 am and detained about 15 employees. Those who were able to provide proof of their legal status were released, and it is still not known how many people were taken during the raid. Protesters gathered outside and were met with tear gas, pepper spray, and non-lethal projectiles. [Park Bugle / Star Tribune]
• Due Process: On today's episode of City Cast Twin Cities, we spoke with Madeline Lohman and Amy Lange of the Immigrant Court Observation Project, a nonprofit that sends courtroom watchers into immigrant removal hearings to document what they see, and whether or not people are being granted their due process and basic human rights. The courtroom watchers have been documenting an alarming trend of immigrants having their removal hearings dismissed, only to have ICE agents waiting outside the courtroom to detain them. Lohman told us that ICE is taking advantage of a part of expedited removal proceedings that allows the government to hold people in detention indefinitely while they await their next trial, causing many people to give up on their case before they have a chance to argue it in court. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities / Star Tribune]
• Where are they taking people? ICE has been spotted loading detainees onto charter planes at MSP, and many say they were never told where they were headed. One man thought he was heading home to Ecuador, only to be flown to a detention center in Louisiana first. Advocates warn that the deportation flights out of MSP are growing more frequent and less transparent. [Minnesota Reformer / Reddit]

"I'm ICE, boys": Unrelated to other immigration enforcement news, an ICE employee was among 16 men arrested in a Bloomington sex trafficking investigation known as "Operation Creep." According to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, the federal agent pleaded, "I'm ICE, boys," to the officers arresting him, but was locked up anyway. [CBS News]

MN's Highest Paid State Employees: Who would you guess it is? Tim Walz? Keith Ellison? Turns out, the answer is much more obvious – nearly all of the top-25 earners on our state's payroll are doctors with very specific specialties, according to statewide earnings data. [Patch]

The bridge is benched: MnDOT has denied a permit to allow the Stillwater lift bridge to be used for this year's annual tug-of-war battle between Minnesota and Wisconsin on the day of the Vikings-Packers game. Tragically, this means we're giving up our home-field advantage as the Border Battle will be held in Hudson, Wis., this year. If you want to lend a hand and show the Cheeseheads who's boss, the event will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4 on the Old Toll Bridge. [Pioneer Press / borderbattle.org]

We're coming for you, Portland: The Copenhagenize global ranking of bicycle-friendly cities just dropped for 2025, and Minneapolis came in at No. 5 in North America! The only U.S. city ahead of us is Portland, but maybe the folks calculating these results haven't seen the new bike lane on Hennepin Avenue yet. [Copenhagenize Index]

Paid Parental Leave Coming to MN: On Jan. 1, Minnesota will roll out its long-awaited paid leave program, offering up to 12 weeks each of family and medical leave, paid via a 0.88% payroll tax shared by workers and employers. But as state leaders celebrate a key DFL accomplishment, critics warn of tech failures, fraud risks, and implementation setbacks. Check out our episode of the City Cast Twin Cities podcast to hear more from Minnesota Reformer Reporter Michelle Griffith. [Minnesota Reformer / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

Thursday, November 20

• 🎄 4 pm Nordic Julemarket Season Opener with Gingerbread Wonderland 🆓 | Norway House
• ❄️ 6 pm Art Shanty Projects 2026 Launch Party | Lake Monster
• 🤠 7 pm Rodney Crowell | The Fitzgerald Theater
• 🎧 7:30 pm Out Cold Season 3 Premiere | Hook and Ladder
• 🎮 7:30 pm Twin Cities Gamer Symphony Orchestra 🆓 | Southwest High School

Friday, November 21

• 🎄 4 pm Minneapolis Christkindl Market (Opening Night) 🆓 | North Loop Green
• 🍂 5 pm Artblok Autumn Festival 🆓 | 2010 Artblok
• 🎨 6 pm MCAD Art Sale Social Night | Minneapolis College of Art and Design
• 💜 6:30 pm Around the World in a Day Expanded Edition Party | NPG Music Club at Paisley Park
• 🤣 7 pm Atsuko Okatsuka | Fillmore Minneapolis
• 🎁 7:30 pm A Christmas Carol Unscripted | Strike Theater
• 🎙️ 8pm Samara Joy | The Fitzgerald Theater

• Art Director at SixSpeed | $70k - $90k per year
• Chief Operating Officer at Black Men Teach | $120k - $160k per year
• Digital Communications Coordinator at City of Minneapolis | $81k - $111k per year
• Community Engagement Specialist at Metropolitan State University | $47k - $93k per year
• Sr. Marketing Specialist at The Fountain Group | $44 - $47 per hour