Ward 2 Updates

January 27th, 2026

Dear Community,

Relentless, persistent, and courageous organizing by tens of thousands of residents over the last six weeks has forced the Trump administration to pull Border Patrol Commander Bovino out of Minneapolis. However, there are still thousands of armed, masked ICE agents in Minneapolis who are kidnapping residents. Residents are still in danger and we must continue to organize grocery delivery, school patrols, and rent help to protect vulnerable families. We must also continue to demand the full withdrawal of all ICE from Minnesota, justice for Renee and Alex, the return of all kidnapped residents, and the full abolition of ICE. Bovino’s departure is not the end of the threat, no matter what the media or politicians say. 

Below, I share some of the ways my office is working to protect our communities and support the incredible mutual aid organizing being led by neighbors. 

Community happenings

Protests in Prospect Park

On Sunday night, there were protests in Prospect Park outside a hotel housing federal agents. ICE appears to have responded using chemical weapons and flashbangs on protestors. It was reported that at least one MPD officer was present. I reached out to the leadership of MPD and the Office of Community Safety for more information on what happened and MPD’s involvement, but have not received a response yet. I will keep you updated. 

University of Minnesota Walkout for ICE Out

Yesterday, thousands of University of Minnesota students participated in a walkout demanding ICE out of Minnesota, and demanding the University join the call for ICE to leave. Thank you to campus organizations who helped lead this powerful action. 

Students attending the University of Minnesota Walk Out action against ICE

 

Utility Bill Relief 

In response to the ongoing presence of federal agents in Minnesota, the Citizens Utility Board has put together two resources for community members:

• Utility bill help: Three steps to take to keep the heat and lights on. Everyone has the right to an affordable payment plan for utility bills. Households whose income is currently reduced have an "extenuating circumstance" that must be considered in these plans. 
• Identifying utility workers: Utility workers sometimes have to do work at your home or business. Ask for identification and/or call your utility to confirm the individual's identity.

This information is posted online along with handouts for printing. 

Anyone with utility concerns may contact CUB: 651-300-4701, 844-646-6282, or online. We provide support to everyone in the state regardless of immigration status.  

Webpages

• Utility Bill Help - English
• Utility Bill Help - Spanish
• Utility Bill Help - Somali
• Identifying Utility Workers - English
• Identifying Utility Workers - Spanish
• Identifying Utility Workers - Somali

Poster for utility bill relief resources

 

Seeking Small Business Owner Experiences 

University of Minnesota political science researchers are conducting ongoing research about the experiences of small business owners in Minnesota. Below is the information that was shared with my office to distribute:

Given the unprecedented historical moment the state finds itself in, we are actively documenting small business owners' perspectives and stories about the ongoing immigration enforcement action in the state. These immigration actions have been framed around small business owners and their interests, and we think it's important--for our research and for posterity and the historical record--that we capture a first-hand account of what small business owners were thinking and doing during this time.

If you would like to take part, we are open to any form of interview you want: email exchanges, Zoom calls, in person interviews, focus groups in the Metro, voice memos, etc. We will try to accommodate whatever works best for you.

To be clear: we don’t care if you are for or against these actions, nor are we only interested in people who are “active” in one form or another.  

It is especially important for us to document if this isn’t affecting your business or motivating you in any particular way. In “interesting” times like these, historical accuracy can be lost to a desire to write “interesting” stories.  We lose the stories of people who continue to live their lives as usual. That loss creates an inaccurate historical record. 

As much as we love interesting stories, we are more interested in an honest account of what Minnesota small business owners thought and did during this time. And that means accounting for as many experiences as possible. If you don’t have much to talk about, just a short email to say “this isn’t affecting me” is really helpful.

Everything you say is strictly confidential and anonymous. We will never use names or stories without expressed permission. (We would never do that anyway, but we are also bound by IRB agreements that require this level of confidentiality.) 

If you are interested, just email kernersumner2@protonmail.com, an encrypted email account we set up for this purpose, and we'll take it from there.

Updates from City Hall

Evict ICE, Not Us - Minnesota Eviction Moratorium

Earlier this month, I led the Minneapolis City Council to pass a resolution urging Governor Walz to pass a statewide eviction moratorium. With federal agents in our streets, residents need to be able to shelter in place to stay safe. No worker should have to choose between keeping a roof over their head and risking being kidnapped or killed by ICE. 

Hundreds of Minneapolis residents testified in support of Evict ICE, Not Us. The resolution passed unanimously thanks to strong community organizing. Mayor Frey did not sign the resolution, which means he did not veto it but also declined to show support for it. 

Since Minneapolis adopted our resolution, the Saint Paul City Council also unanimously adopted a resolution urging Governor Walz to pass an eviction moratorium, and Roseville City Council also took action in support of a statewide eviction moratorium. The concerns of residents facing eviction during this occupation is a statewide issue and I anticipate more cities and elected officials statewide will call for an eviction moratorium, which should demonstrate to Governor Walz this crisis demands action. 

In a show of national solidarity, the City Council and Rent Board from Berkeley, California also voted unanimously to call on Governor Walz to implement an eviction moratorium in Minnesota, out of recognition that it sets a strong precedent for strategies to protect residents from the federal government. They also called upon their own governor to prepare to implement an eviction moratorium if and when the Trump administration conducts increased operations in California cities. 

Governor Walz is the only person with the authority to protect residents with an eviction moratorium so that families can shelter in place until it’s safe. Please continue to contact Governor Walz and urge him to pass an eviction moratorium now. 

In the coming weeks, I’m bringing forward additional pieces of legislation to help protect vulnerable Minnesota families from the looming eviction crisis. These include extending the timeline for evictions to be filed on families with children and giving Minneapolis the autonomy to implement eviction moratoriums in states of emergency without a declaration by the governor. I will share more updates about these efforts and ways to support them in the coming weeks. 

Rental assistance funding

Thousands of Minneapolis residents are unable to safely go to work and earn rent due to the federal agents occupying our city. In addition to an eviction moratorium, we need significant financial resources to help cover rent. So far, residents have stepped up to fundraise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support each other. This generosity is beautiful and powerful, but it’s not a substitute for resources from the state. Ordinary people can’t afford to cover the cost of their neighbors’ rent indefinitely. The City, State, and large philanthropies need to step up and contribute to emergency rental assistance.

In light of this, I’m working with Council President Payne, Vice President Osman, and Council Member Stevenson to allocate emergency rental assistance funding at the City level. I’m also in dialogue with State Senator Lindsay Port and State Representative Mike Howard, who chair the Housing Committees at the State Legislature, about state allocations.  

I and my colleagues will bring forward the rental assistance funding proposal for consideration and a vote at Council’s Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting next Tuesday, February 3rd. If approved, it will be forwarded to Full Council for final approval on Thursday, February 5th. Both meetings will take place at City Hall and will start at 9:30am. Please feel free to attend in person or watch via livestream. We also encourage residents to submit public comments in support of this action by emailing CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.

Immigration legal services funding

Minneapolis has several fantastic nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost legal services to residents navigating the immigration system. The City of Minneapolis supports these organizations with some funding. Over the last several years, I’ve worked with my colleagues to protect and expand this funding. However, the need for these services has massively increased under Operation Metro Surge. Council Member Chavez and I are bringing forward a proposal to increase the funding for these legal organizations to serve more residents with more complex and urgent needs for immigration legal services.   

Council Member Chavez and I will bring forward the legal services funding proposal for consideration and a vote at Council’s Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting next Tuesday, February 3rd. If approved, it will be forwarded to Full Council for final approval on Thursday, February 5th. Please feel free to attend in person or watch via livestream. We also encourage residents to submit public comments in support of this action by emailing CouncilComment@minneapolismn.gov.