I’ve been living in Minneapolis and working on my since 2019.
It’s given me a chance to personally , the aftermath of , and the have fostered grassroots networks of what’s known broadly as “.”
Simply put, mutual aid is when communities work together to distribute resources people need to survive, whether it’s food, shelter, clothing or help paying bills. Unlike charity or government assistance, mutual aid is decentralized, grassroots-led and not channeled through nonprofits or government agencies.
One reason why mutual aid flourishes in Minnesota is that it has deep roots in the state.
Enduring ‘Operation Metro Surge’
in which some of the perpetrators were , the Trump administration dispatched Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents to the Twin Cities .
Within weeks, the number of federal agents in what the Department of Homeland Security dubbed “Operation Metro Surge” had topped 3,000, and ushering in widespread fear and uncertainty.
quickly mobilized in response to these federal operations. Immigrant advocacy organizations have organized and distributed “” information on flyers.
As in other cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, “ICE Watch” volunteers in Minneapolis sound and car horns to alert neighbors during ongoing raids. Constitutional observers to neighbors.
The participants come .
and alike have pivoted away from their routines to distribute food, diapers, cash and other household items that immigrant households need. Residents with disposable income have organized targeted “” to support struggling local businesses.
have directed to families whose breadwinners are afraid to go to work.
Federal agents have targeted schools and , apprehending adults and children. Parents and neighbors across the region have begun to shield students from federal immigration actions.
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The North Star State’s heritage
The local grassroots resistance to Operation Metro Surge came as no surprise to me. Mutual aid has deep roots in Minnesota, and this history is closely connected to the violence of European settlement and American expansion.
have always demanded cooperation and neighborliness, not merely as an expression of “Minnesota Nice” – the state’s – but as a survival strategy that predated the first European arrivals in the 17th century.
are central values among and people, Minnesota’s original inhabitants.
From when French fur trappers and Catholic missionaries first made their way to the Great Lakes in the 17th century until the in the mid-19th century, Indigenous inhabitants sustained with colonial powers.
The North Star State’s Minnesota Nice reputation has long encompassed ; ; and formed out of necessity during frigid winters.
Undergoing demographic changes
After , a series of broken treaties, armed conflicts and several laws forced Indigenous people onto reservations, opening up large swathes of land for white settlement. Immigrants from countries like Sweden, Norway and Germany settled in Minnesota in hopes of better opportunities than they had back home. Catholic and Lutheran churches and mutual benefit societies preserved cultural heritage, combated isolation and .
In 1850, . By 1900, the state’s population had , .
Beginning in the 1970s, Minnesota and , as well as . Robust social services and Catholic and Lutheran refugee settlement agencies have , many of whom fled their countries of origin in response to economic crises and geopolitical instability.
While , the Minneapolis-St. Paul region remains far more diverse in terms of race, religion and national origin.
The seven-county region is 72% white, 10% Black or African American, 8% Asian or Pacific Islander, 7% Latino and just under 1% Native American, . White people make up just over 50% of the population in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. At , Black people constitute a higher share of population in Minneapolis. In St. Paul, about , mainly Hmong and other people of Southeast Asian descent.
Minnesota’s religious landscape is changing too. Since 2000, for example, the .
Hmong and Somali Minnesotans play an increasingly prominent role in Twin Cities politics. The Trump administration has , including Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minneapolis, especially during its immigration crackdown.
Welcoming donations
The fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident agent further galvanized the local resistance. While it is unclear if Good was acting as part of a local group, attendance at observer trainings increased in the following weeks.
A few weeks after Good died, on Jan. 23, in frigid weather through downtown Minneapolis to demand “ICE out!”
In what organizers billed “A Day of Truth and Freedom,” . , daily .
The outrage increased when, the next morning, , a South Minneapolis Veterans Administration nurse who was documenting ICE actions at the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue.
In response, from the chemical that agents deployed. Residents of the neighborhood opened warming stations and distributed granola bars, hot water and hand warmers to mourners.
One organizer insisted they were not accepting payments for these goods and services, although donations were welcome.
Lasting harm
The federal government said it . With public pressure welling up, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, announced on Feb. 12 would come to an end.
As of Feb. 25, ICE is less visible in South Minneapolis. But locals across the region are well aware of the ongoing presence in suburban areas, where agents are reportedly using .
Even if the immigration agents do completely clear out, the damage caused will surely be long-lasting.
, who was taken from his suburban Twin Cities home and flown to a detention facility in Dilley, Texas, have received inadequate food and limited access to recreation while held there, according to ProPublica’s investigative reporters. The American Academy of Pediatrics has called attention to the .
South Minneapolis’ Lake Street corridor, home to over 1,000 immigrant-owned small businesses, . Local leaders estimate that the .
But Minneapolis residents are carrying on the state’s long-standing tradition of solidarity through mutual aid.
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