Union: ICE detaining vetted MSP airport workers
A union says ICE has detained vetted workers at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, prompting hundreds of airport employees to fear coming to work. MSP airport workers plan a 1 p.m. Tuesday news conference to publicly push back against ICE operations, part of a coordinated day of press events alongside educators, students, families, clergy and physicians.
📌 Key Facts
- A news conference is planned for 1 p.m. Tuesday at which MSP Airport workers will publicly speak out against ICE operations at the airport.
- The planned event represents an organized, on‑the‑record pushback by frontline MSP airport staff against ICE activity.
- The airport‑worker action is part of a coordinated day of press events taking place across the Twin Cities.
- Those coordinated events include educators, students, families, clergy and physicians joining airport workers in speaking out on ICE.
- This reporting appears in FOX 9 Minneapolis–St. Paul’s coverage titled "LIVE UPDATES | ICE in Minnesota: Leaders across Twin Cities speak out on ICE" (published 2026-01-20).
📊 Relevant Data
Roughly 22% of working-age people who reported Somali ancestry in the Twin Cities metro area are self-employed, compared to about 10% for the general U.S. population.
Minnesota's Somali residents largely work in a few key industries, study finds — Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
The poverty rate for the Somali population in Minnesota is 36.4%, compared to the statewide poverty rate of about 9%.
Somali population - Cultural communities — Minnesota Compass
ICE has arrested 15 workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport since Christmas 2025, with hundreds of airport workers fearing to report to work amid ongoing operations.
ICE arrests 15 MSP airport workers, hundreds afraid to work — Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
Student attendance has dropped in Minnesota schools, with some districts like Saint Paul Public Schools offering temporary virtual learning due to anxieties from ICE operations.
Second largest Minnesota school district to offer temporary virtual learning amid ICE operations — Fox News
Somali immigrants commit more crime than natives in Minnesota, with a two- to fivefold difference when compared apples-to-apples.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
More than 26,000 Somali refugees have settled in Minnesota since 1993, driven by refugee resettlement programs and economic opportunities.
How did MN get the nation's largest Somali population? — Star Tribune
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Announces a planned 1 p.m. Tuesday news conference where MSP Airport workers will publicly speak out against ICE operations at the airport, signaling organized on‑the‑record pushback by frontline staff.
- Places that airport‑worker resistance alongside educators, students, families, clergy and physicians as part of a coordinated day of press events.