🤝 Behind the bargain for ICE’s departure

Behind the bargain for ICE agents leaving

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, didn’t agree to withdraw 700 federal agents from the state for nothing. The Star Tribune reported that sheriffs have been conducting closed-door conversations with Homan to draw up a legal framework that would allow ICE to access to jails/prisons to interrogate inmates and have jails hold inmates for up to 48 hours past their scheduled release, in order to hand people over to immigration enforcement. Immigration lawyer Ana Pottratz Acosta joins today’s show to unpack the legality of this proposed agreement. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

• Legal question: This framework, called a “basic ordering agreement,” may not be in the clear with Minnesota law. Attorney General Keith Ellison issued a memo in December that local law enforcement can’t hold people for longer than their scheduled release just so ICE can detain them. Pottratz Acosta also points out these “detainers” are a criminal hold for civil immigration enforcement.
• How much should Minnesota cooperate? Pottratz Acosta said county sheriffs have already been in compliance with federal immigration. She said the stance of local governments in Minnesota has generally been “ we'll cooperate to the extent we're required to, but we're not gonna go above and beyond to help you do our job.”
• Who’s a priority? Homan contends that taking people straight from jail is more efficient than having “eight to ten” officers arrest people in the streets, while the administration continues targeting the people it calls the “worst of the worst.” But according to Pottraz Acosta, just because a person is being taken from jail doesn’t mean they committed a serious crime. Since the Trump administration scrapped the prosecutorial guidelines of previous presidencies, “everybody is fair game,” she said.

“None of this should be legal”: Minnesota school districts and the state’s largest teachers’ union are suing the Department of Homeland Security for allowing immigration agents near schools. On the first day of President Donald Trump’s current term, DHS rescinded policy to limit immigration actions around schools. Fridley Public Schools, Duluth Public Schools, and Education Minnesota are the plaintiffs. [Sahan Journal]

Pause in care: Children’s Minnesota recently announced they will pause some gender-affirming care services due to pressure from the Trump administration. Family Tree Clinic in Minneapolis affirmed to MPR’s Kelly Gordon that it will help fill the gaps. “This is care that's been provided for decades and even centuries before that,” executive director Annie Van Avery told Gordon. [MPR]

Business in need: Mercado Central on East Lake St. in Minneapolis is a well-known hub of 35 Latino businesses. A GoFundMe started by Mercado Central states they are at risk of closure, and businesses have seen more than a 90 percent drop in sales due to “violent racial profiling that has alienated all [customer] bases.” [Donate]

“Out, damned spot!”: You may know I’m a Kiss the Tiger fangirl. The band’s frontwoman, Meghan Kreidler, is starring as Lady Macbeth in the Guthrie’s production of “Macbeth,” which runs until March 22. I can’t wait to see her bring some rock n’ roll flair to this classical play. [MPR]

Identifying agents: On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council introduced an ordinance that bans federal agents from wearing face coverings. The Council has introduced or passed a flurry of ordinances related to the federal surge. One ordinance would require agents to have their name or badge number, or both, on their uniform. [Pioneer Press]

Friday, Feb 6

• 🎭 Home on the Mornin' Train | Youth Performance Company
• 🧀 Melty Cheese Party | France 44
• 🏮 Ice Lantern Making 🆓 | Water Works Park
• 🔥 Fire and Frost 🆓 | Logan Park
• 🎸 Drone Not Drones: 28-Hour Benefit Concert | The Cedar Cultural Center
• ❄️ North St. Paul Fire and Ice 🆓 | Casey Lake Park
• 🎶 Highway Heroes – Tribute to the Outlaw Poets | Turf Club
• 🖤 Riot! At The Disco: Emo and Pop Punk Nite | Green Room

Saturday, Feb 7

• ⛳ Wayzata Chilly Open | Lake Minnetonka
• ☕ Cocoa, Crafts, and Sleds 🆓 | Harriet Island Regional Park
• 🎺 Brass Solidarity, Mni Sóta Makoce, and the Good Family: Memorial Ceremony | Powderhorn Park
• 🛒 Thick City Market | 2626 28th Ave S.
• 🚲 Stupor Bowl | Venture Bikes
• 🍺 Beerenol: Photos Developed in Beer 🆓 | Indeed Brewing
• ✨ Luminary Loppet | Lake of the Isles
• 🎸 12th House Sun EP Release Show | Pilllar Forum
• 🎸 Battery Eyes, In Lieu, Unstable Shapes, Laura Larson | Cloudland Theater

Sunday, Feb 8

• 🖼️ Sensory Friendly Sunday | The Walker Art Center
• 🛖 Art Shanty Projects (Last Day) | Bdé Umáŋ (Lake Harriet)
• ☕ Coffee Outside | Various Locations on Central Ave. NE (Check Recovery Bike Shop Instagram)
• 🚚 Monster Jam | U.S. Bank Stadium
• 🎼 My Name Is Florence | Minnesota Opera
• 🎸 Eric Gales: A Special Evening of Acoustic Blues | Dakota

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