Twin Cities students walk out, rally at Capitol over ICE surge
Hundreds of Twin Cities students walked out of class and rallied at the Minnesota Capitol on Jan. 14 to protest ongoing ICE operations under Operation Metro Surge, saying raids and armed agents near schools are terrifying immigrant families and disrupting education. Organizers from multiple Minneapolis–St. Paul districts marched to the Capitol, where student speakers demanded that ICE stay away from school grounds and that state leaders do more to protect their communities. The walkouts follow earlier decisions by Minneapolis, St. Paul and Fridley to offer or shift to online learning because of ICE activity, and reports of sharp absentee spikes in schools serving large immigrant populations. With video of the protests spreading online, the student‑led action adds direct youth pressure on Gov. Walz, AG Keith Ellison and the Legislature as they battle the Trump administration in court over the Twin Cities enforcement surge.
📌 Key Facts
- Date and place: Student walkouts and a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Jan. 14, 2026.
- Students from multiple Twin Cities districts left class to protest ICE enforcement near schools and Operation Metro Surge.
- The action follows earlier educator demands, emergency e‑learning moves and absentee spikes in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Fridley tied to ICE presence.
📊 Relevant Data
Operation Metro Surge is an ICE operation launched in December 2025 in Minnesota, targeting criminal illegal aliens amid allegations of widespread fraud in Somali-run programs, resulting in over 2,400 arrests.
DHS Highlights Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Arrested ... — DHS.gov
Nearly 90% of defendants in Minnesota's major pandemic-era fraud cases since 2022 belong to the Somali community, despite Somalis comprising about 1.4% of Minnesota's population (80,000 out of 5.7 million).
Nearly 90% of defendants in Minnesota's major pandemic-era fraud ... — Facebook (Being Libertarian)
Minnesota's fraud schemes have led to federal charges against 92 people with 62 convicted, involving over $1 billion siphoned from federal programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Everything we know about Minnesota's massive fraud schemes — CBS News
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Human beings have intrinsic worth — American Experiment
About 54% of Somali-headed households in Minnesota receive food stamps, and 73% have at least one member on Medicaid, indicating high welfare usage.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — CIS.org
Somalis began resettling in Minnesota in the 1990s as refugees fleeing civil war, attracted by strong refugee programs, job opportunities, and chain migration, leading to the largest Somali population in the U.S. (around 80,000).
How did MN get the nation's largest Somali population? — Star Tribune
Per capita, the Somali community's involvement in fraud scandals is disproportionately high, with 90% of defendants from a group representing 1.4% of the population, potentially linked to concentrated resettlement and poverty rates.
A Somali-American former investigator: why you're hearing about ... — Minnesota Reformer
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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