Union: ICE detaining vetted MSP airport workers

A union representing Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport workers says ICE agents have been detaining employees who already passed extensive background checks and hold legal work authorization, and that hundreds of airport staff are now afraid to show up for work. The report, based on union accounts, suggests federal agents are conducting enforcement actions inside or around MSP despite workers’ prior vetting by the Metropolitan Airports Commission and federal security programs. Labor leaders warn this is chilling the workforce at one of the Twin Cities’ largest job sites and a critical transportation hub, with potential implications for airport operations and safety if staff stay home out of fear. The Business Journal piece fits into the broader Operation Metro Surge context, where ICE and Border Patrol deployments across the metro are already linked to sharp drops in business traffic and school attendance in immigrant communities. It also underscores growing concern from organized labor that the surge is sweeping up people who are not only authorized to work but have already been cleared by the same federal government that is now detaining them.