U.S. Federal Actions Violate Minnesota Schools and Must Stop Now
Since its adoption in 1857, Minnesota’s Constitution has enshrined the duty to establish and maintain a general and uniform system of public education for every child, a foundational constitutional commitment that affirms education as a civic right. That constitutional duty can only be fulfilled when schools are safe, accessible, and free from coercion, intimidation, and fear.
On January 8th, that obligation was attacked and undermined when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents carried out an armed enforcement action at Minneapolis’ Roosevelt High School in South Minneapolis, introducing weapons and coercive force into a space that should be protected as a center of learning and community trust.
On the same day as the violence at Roosevelt, less than three miles away, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a U.S.-born citizen, mother, and poet who was serving as a community observer at the scene of ICE enforcement activity.
The environment of terror is now fully real for Minnesotans, whether actions occur at a school or on neighborhood streets. For students, this environment carries lasting consequences. Fear and instability disrupt wellbeing, erode trust in public institutions, and undermine educational access and achievement—outcomes fundamentally incompatible with Minnesota’s constitutional promise and the promise of our state’s future.
At Roosevelt High School, the enforcement action unfolded during student dismissal. Without permission or a judicial warrant, ICE and other federal agents entered school grounds to forcibly detain a para-professional educator. Armed agents threw the teacher onto the ground and handcuffed him, while also tackling other school personnel.
Agents deployed a chemical irritant into a crowd that included students, educators, and community members. Minneapolis Public Schools then cancelled classes and activities for the remainder of the week due to safety concerns caused by the presence and actions of armed federal agents.
These violations by governmental forces should never occur within our communities, and especially in our school communities. Schools cannot fulfill their constitutional obligations when federal operations introduce weapons, chemical agents, and violence into spaces designed for children’s learning and care.
Tragically, the actions at Roosevelt are not isolated.
For months, ICE and other federal agents have engaged in targeted immigration enforcement and intimidation in and around Twin Cities public schools, particularly those serving large numbers of immigrant students. Parents have been detained and separated from their kids. School buses have been followed by unmarked cars driven by armed agents. Armed agents are parking near school pick-up and drop-off sites. As a result, attendance has dropped dramatically in these schools. Minnesota’s children are losing access to consistent education and are forced to carry the heavy burden of this chaos and harm.
These outcomes are not incidental. They are the predictable result of federal policy decisions that have dismantled long-standing safeguards protecting schools as places of learning rather than sites of targeted enforcement.
The long-standing designation of schools as “sensitive locations”—along with churches, hospitals, and other similar locations—was rescinded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2025. ICE agents now have broad discretion to act in any location without regard to our state’s civil rights and human rights protections Minnesota law is intended to uphold.
The harm falls most heavily on immigrant students and their families, but the damage extends to Minnesota’s entire public education system. Minnesota statutory law mandates that all schools are to be places where the safety and security of every learner must be upheld. What’s more, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Plyler v. Doe (1982) that all children have a constitutional right to public K–12 education, regardless of immigration status.
In Minnesota, approximately 78,000 English Learners—nearly one in ten students statewide—are part of immigrant families. When federal enforcement actions deter school attendance, they strike at Minnesota’s constitutional authority and undermine students’ ability to exercise their right to education.
A quality, effective, and empowering education system requires equitable access, a commitment to social justice, and schools that are safe. The current U.S. federal government’s violent and racist actions erode these central foundations of a truly just and equitable education system. This travesty must stop now.
We can and must ensure our schools and students are safe from this harm and their rights are upheld. There is truth In the words of Malala Yousafzai, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”
To learn more about how you can support the safety and well-being of immigrant learners and their families, check out MnEEP’s Safe & Supportive Schools for Immigrant and English Learner Students Toolkit, along with the most recent updates.
This toolkit will be continuously updated with resources and guidance.
We also invite you to attend MnEEP’s Annual Event on Friday, January 23rd, on Zoom from 10am-12pm. This is a virtual event to celebrate our collective work and deepen the shared power, meaningful relationships, and solidarity we need to push back against injustice in education and push forward toward the racially just public education system every student deserves.
To advocate for students and safe schools for every learner, contact Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and your State and U.S. Representatives and demand immediate action to halt harmful federal enforcement actions in our school communities.
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Executive Director, MnEEP
In Memory of Renee Nicole Good – Rest in Peace, beautiful Citizen Neighbor
