Minneapolis, MN – Today, over 135 local officials sent a letter to Minnesota Governor Walz, demanding that he sign an immediate executive order allowing cities in the state to pass eviction moratoriums. Five local officials (St. Paul City Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim, Roseville City Council Member Julie Strahan, Washington County Commissioner Michelle Clasen, Ramsey County Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong, and St. Louis Park School Board Member Taylor Williams) delivered the letter in person today at the state capitol. The letter, signed by officials from dozens of states, comes weeks after both Minneapolis, St. Paul, Roseville, Columbia Heights, and West St. Paul passed official actions urging the Governor to initiate an eviction moratorium while ICE agents terrorize the Twin Cities. Actions by ICE in the Twin Cities action has spurred a national backlash against the Trump administration’s immigration agenda and even now threaten to derail budget negotiations in the United States Senate. The letter reads:
“As elected officials in Minnesota and around the nation, we work to ensure the safety of our communities. The state is currently undergoing what is reported as the largest federal immigration operation in United States history, which has caused immense harm to our communities. Currently, the operation threatens any person of color, regardless of immigration status, any time they step outside of their homes. These immigration efforts have taken place at schools, hospitals, workplaces, parks, grocery stores, and local restaurants, among others. We are devastated by the reign of terror that ICE has continued to enact in our state, preventing hundreds of our community members from going to work due to fear of brutality, arrest, and deportation.”
For well over a month now, thousands of ICE, DHS, and HSI agents have gone door-to-door in the Twin Cities in an unprecedented escalation of Trump’s immigration agenda. deported hundreds of people, killed two unarmed civilians, and arrested children as young as five years old. This has created an atmosphere of fear, keeping many residents, regardless of their immigration status, stuck inside. Unable to drop kids off at school, go to work, or, for many, leave the house, the Twin Cities have been under what is essentially a lockdown since the beginning of 2026. Without assistance, many are unlikely to afford rent this month and are at risk of being thrown on the streets while masked men patrol the streets looking for innocent people to brutalize.
“When going to work to pay rent risks people being permanently disappeared, we need to protect our communities and make it possible to stay home,” said HwaJeong Kim, Vice President of the St.Paul City Council. “We’ve witnessed too much violence and brutality at the hands of ICE. Every day, people have been going to extraordinary lengths to support each other, and we hope that this letter will bring our governor to meet the moment as well.”
“We have seen the power of people coming together with every witness who films ICE, with every person who brings their neighbor groceries, and with every volunteer who helps kids get to school safely,” said Ivan Luevanos-Elms, Executive Director of Local Progress. “Now, we’re seeing the power of local elected officials coming together to demand basic protections for their communities. As we’ve seen in the past, authoritarian regimes are no match for organized people.”
“ICE is terrorizing us all, from Minneapolis to Chicago. As local elected officials closest to our communities, we need the power to make sure people feel safe and supported,” said Chicago Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes. “When the federal government turns on its people, local and state governments are the last line of defense to make sure our neighbors have housing and other basic needs. I’m proud to join this letter with other local elected officials ready to take on this responsibility, and I hope our state-level leaders join us.”
State law in Minnesota makes it impossible for anyone other than the Governor to declare the emergency necessary for an eviction moratorium. One was called during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rental assistance was made available to those who were unable to work. Local officials in the Twin Cities have drawn parallels to that moment, noting that many people are unable to work and that businesses have already closed this month because of federal immigration action. This letter represents the largest coordinated effort to put pressure on the Governor, with signatures from over 30 local officials across Minnesota and at least 100 more from across the country. The strong national coalition sends a strong message to Governors across the country that local officials are demanding the power to protect their communities in the face of violent and increasingly federal repression.
Watch local elected officials deliver the letter to Governor Walz and share a brief few words below.