Community campaigns bolster immigrant-owned restaurants after Metro Surge
Following Operation Metro Surge, community groups — including PACAT (People’s Action Coalition Against Trump) — have organized coordinated pro-immigrant dining events and rallies at Los Cactus and four other immigrant-owned restaurants on Central Avenue to channel economic support to businesses hit by enforcement. Los Cactus temporarily closed and cut hours because workers were afraid to come in but has recently resumed normal operations, and organizers are deliberately extending campaigns into suburban immigrant corridors such as Columbia Heights and Fridley.
📌 Key Facts
- A coordinated pro-immigrant dining and rally event was organized on Central Avenue, identifying Los Cactus and four other immigrant-owned restaurants as participating sites.
- Los Cactus temporarily closed and reduced hours during Operation Metro Surge because workers were too afraid to come in; it has only recently resumed normal operations.
- Organizers are combining targeted economic support (dining) with public rallies to bolster immigrant-owned restaurants affected by Operation Metro Surge.
- PACAT (People’s Action Coalition Against Trump) is identified as an organizing hub for ongoing anti-ICE protests and targeted economic support in the Columbia Heights and Fridley areas.
- Post-surge organizing is deliberately expanding beyond Minneapolis proper into suburban immigrant corridors that were hit hard by enforcement and publicity from Operation Metro Surge.
- The coordinated actions in central and suburban corridors are intended as a sustained response to enforcement impacts on immigrant communities and local businesses following the surge.
📊 Relevant Data
Adjusted incarceration rates for Somali-born male immigrants aged 18-29 in the US are 5,030 per 100,000, compared to 2,450 per 100,000 for U.S.-born males and 1,280 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic white natives, based on ACS data from 2006-2024.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
Somali immigrants in Minnesota exhibit higher per capita incarceration rates than natives, with national adjusted odds showing over 2.5 times higher for Somali immigrants compared to U.S.-born males aged 18-64.
Yes, Somali Immigrants Commit More Crime Than Natives — City Journal
The racial composition of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, in 2023 includes 51% White (Non-Hispanic), 25% Black, 11% Hispanic, and 5% Asian, reflecting diversification from 2010 when it was approximately 71% White, 14% Black, 7% Hispanic, and 6% Asian.
Columbia Heights, MN - Data USA — Data USA
Operation Metro Surge primarily targeted undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, with allegations of racial profiling in arrests.
New ICE Operation Is Said to Target Somali Migrants in Twin Cities — The New York Times
Federal refugee resettlement policies, including those under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, have facilitated the migration of over 100,000 Somalis to Minnesota since the 1990s, driven by Somalia's civil war, with recent surges influenced by family reunification and community networks.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Identifies Los Cactus and four other immigrant-owned restaurants on Central Avenue as sites for a coordinated pro-immigrant dining and rally event.
- Documents that Los Cactus temporarily closed and cut hours during Operation Metro Surge because workers were too afraid to come in, and has only recently resumed normal operations.
- Introduces PACAT (People’s Action Coalition Against Trump) as an organizing hub for ongoing anti-ICE protests and targeted economic support in Columbia Heights/Fridley.
- Shows that post-surge organizing is deliberately moving beyond Minneapolis proper to suburban immigrant corridors hit hard by enforcement and publicity.