Dear Neighbors and Friends,
Our beautiful and diverse community across District 65B—spanning our capital city and the best suburb, West St. Paul—has been disrupted and destabilized by the state-sanctioned violence and retribution of the Trump administration. From cultural anchors like El Burrito Mercado to organizational hubs like Neighborhood House, we have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors and patrons to ensure we are taking care of one another and protecting our human and civil rights.
As federal cuts and stalled SNAP funding continue to threaten to leave our most vulnerable neighbors behind, Minnesota children, elders, and families are facing dire needs. They are looking to their Representatives to provide solutions for relief and support.
Food is a human right. Families must have access to critical food resources that offer culturally competent care and quality service. No Minnesotan should have to wonder where their next meal will come from. Will Republicans stand with Minnesotans, or will they continue to prioritize Trump's unlawful political attacks on our state?
It was a distinct honor to welcome former Illinois Congressman Luis Vicente Gutiérrez to the Minnesota State Capitol. As Chair of the House St. Paul Delegation, hosting a civil rights icon who marched arm-in-arm with the late Congressman John Lewis to be a historic moment for our state. He is a champion of "Good Trouble," and his legacy provides the blueprint for the work we do today.
As a proud Boricua in the House, I am committed to carrying his drive for our community forward. I am a better legislator because of the path he blazed, and we must continue to channel his energy—fueled by the knowledge that in this fight, we can never give up. We pave the way so the next generation can walk it with pride. ¡Pa’lante, community! We do this together.
Furthermore, as Vice Chair of the POCI Caucus, it was an honor to welcome Congressman Gutiérrez to our Capitol to discuss opportunities for Minnesota to support the national Puerto Rican diaspora. Alongside Representative Cedrick Frazier, we are showing solidarity in the movement to dismantle the PROMESA Act, a fiscal oversight board that has consistently disadvantaged and displaced Puerto Ricans on the island.
Meeting with Minnesota Nurses Association
The Minnesota Nurses Association’s tireless efforts to safeguard lives and promote better healthcare and workforce conditions have not gone unnoticed by the Office of District 65B. The nurses of Minnesota are the backbone of our healthcare system and deserve unwavering support. Your dedication to the well-being of patients of all ages and backgrounds is truly commendable. I will always champion the cause of our nurses; they saved my life personally, and the profession warrants the highest respect.
I am also deeply grateful for the schools, parents, families, and West Side Boosters coaches who are safeguarding our community as legal observers and providing essential mutual aid to those impacted by Operation Metro.
The recurring message is clear: schools and administrations are scared, they are under-resourced to respond to ICE activity, and parents are having to make impossible decisions to stand as a line of defense to protect their children and classmates from illegal ruses and tactics. Every day, our young children are subjected to weaponized fear and an accepting culture of violence outside of their school doors.
In St. Paul, we have some of the best dual-immersion programs available to all our students, and I am especially disturbed by Rep. Mueller’s inaction and perpetual silence on the ongoing targeting of dual-immersion schools, especially as we worked on a bipartisan bill to establish the first dual-immersion working task force. We came together as educators to put our children and their families first; I am saddened that those same values are not shared when it comes to prioritizing Minnesotans against federal government retribution.
The announcement of Kristi Noem’s termination does not change the reality or the enabling agenda of targeting our diverse St. Paul communities. We must all remain vigilant and keep showing up for our immigrant, refugee, and undocumented neighbors. Pa’Lante Siempre.
DFL Affordability Initiatives
It shouldn’t be this difficult to get ahead. Working hard and playing by the rules should mean that your family is safe, well-educated, and that you can afford a home, child care, and health care. But far too many Minnesotans feel any chance at the American Dream slipping away and struggle every day just to get by.
The status quo is broken, the system is rigged, and Minnesotans are paying the price.
House DFLers work every day to make Minnesotans’ lives better. With record wealth inequality, a disappearing middle class, and a system that’s built for the rich and well-connected rather than the rest of us, we’re setting forward a vision of the future where Minnesotans have power and control over their own lives and can thrive.
There are several bills working their way through committee hearings but the two I want to amplify are:
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Bill to ban predatory surveillance pricing: The bill would prohibit companies in Minnesota from tracking consumer data to increase prices. We are hearing how large corporations and Big Tech use data—such as geography and purchase history—to hike costs.
Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega
Minnesota House of Representatives
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