St. Paul Mayor Says Hmong Residents Sheltering Indoors Amid ICE Surge
St. Paul’s mayor says members of the city’s Hmong community are sheltering indoors and “afraid to leave their homes” amid a recent surge in ICE activity. Reporting from the Twin Cities documents similar behavior — including a Minneapolis asylum‑seeker family who haven’t left their apartment for weeks — and pediatricians say many children are showing stress‑related symptoms, with some injured after exposure to tear gas and other chemical irritants at protests and near schools.
📌 Key Facts
- NPR reports a Minneapolis asylum-seeker family with two U.S.-citizen daughters has not left their apartment in nearly a month because of fear of ICE; the 2-year-old has increased crying and tantrums and the 10-year-old asks why she cannot go outside or play in the snow.
- NPR reports pediatric clinicians at Children’s Minnesota say many children in Twin Cities immigrant communities are showing stress-linked symptoms—emotional outbursts, regression in developmental milestones, and explicit fears that friends will 'disappear' or that family members will be separated—symptoms they tie directly to ICE operations.
- NPR ties specific violent and chemical-agent incidents around Minneapolis schools and protests to child injuries, including a baby hospitalized after tear gas exposure and crowds of students hit with chemical irritants at dismissal time.
- NPR connects the ICE surge and related enforcement activity in the Twin Cities with heightened fear, anxiety, and behavioral changes among immigrant children and families, prompting some households to shelter indoors for extended periods.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 22, 2026
9:01 AM
The ICE surge is fueling fear and anxiety among Twin Cities children
New information:
- NPR documents a Minneapolis asylum‑seeker family with two U.S.‑citizen daughters who have not left their apartment in nearly a month due to fear of ICE, with the 2‑year‑old showing increased crying and tantrums and the 10‑year‑old asking why she cannot go outside or play in the snow.
- Pediatric evidence from Children’s Minnesota indicates that many children in Twin Cities immigrant communities are showing stress‑linked symptoms—emotional outbursts, regression in milestones, and explicit fears about friends disappearing or being separated from family—directly tied to ICE operations.
- The story ties specific violent and chemical‑agent incidents around Minneapolis schools and protests to child injuries, including a baby hospitalized after tear gas exposure and a crowd of students hit with chemical irritants at dismissal time.