Communities across the country, in Minnesota and beyond, are living in terror as federal immigration enforcement agents patrol, surveil, detain, arrest, disappear, injure, and kill civilians. Agents are denying people their constitutional rights by undermining due process, searching vehicles and homes without consent or the appropriate warrants, attacking and arresting people peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights to assemble, protest, and document enforcement actions, and more.
The massive expansion and escalation of these actions pose a danger to our nation. However, as these harms occur, we are also seeing growing public resistance to government intimidation, suppression, and violence.
We are witnessing firsthand the incredible power of everyday people to reject this assault on our communities, our Constitution, and our democracy. To continue exercising our people-power, we must understand what is happening and what rights we hold.
What’s Going on with Immigration Enforcement?
Over the past year, the federal government has drastically expanded the immigration enforcement budget, scale, and authority. In July 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which granted more than $170 billion, an unprecedented amount of funding, to expand immigration and border enforcement activities. This funding went to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense. It included $45 billion to build new detention centers, nearly $30 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deportation, and $13.5 billion to reimburse state and local enforcement to perform immigration functions.