Minneapolis Park Board puts moratorium on evictions

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is suspending evictions for its rental properties in response to Operation Metro Surge, during which many noncitizens have stayed home from work for fear of being detained by federal immigration officials.

Work stoppage has coincided with higher-than-normal eviction filings, and immigrant advocacy groups have pressed state and local officials to suspend them.

First-term Commissioner Amber Frederick, who brought the resolution forward, said the Park Board hasn’t filed an eviction at its rental properties in more than a decade, but she wanted to give tenants “insurance” in case they’re experiencing rent stress due to federal enforcement activity.

“I believe that housing is a human right, and I believe that this board has the ability to align with the values that we’re asking larger government bodies to follow suit with,” she said.

Before the Park Board’s vote on Feb. 18, no other local government body had enacted a rent moratorium because of immigration enforcement, though the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have approved resolutions urging Gov. Tim Walz to declare one statewide, and Minneapolis approved $1 million in rental assistance.

For those who might be surprised to learn the Park Board is in the real estate rental business, the board has historically acquired properties across the city in preparation for eventual conversion to parkland.

The buildings subject to its rent suspension are a mix of commercial, industrial and residential properties in north and northeast Minneapolis. The rental homes are located in buildings in the 2200 block of Marshall Street NE. Officials estimated fewer than 10 residential tenants would be affected by the moratorium.

While federal border czar Tom Homan announced last week that most federal agents will begin to leave Minnesota, enforcement activity continues. It’s unclear when or how the Park Board will decide to rescind its moratorium.

“We have extreme liars at the federal government about what they’re doing,” Commissioner Dan Engelhart said. “When we still have [agents], we don’t know how many we have, we never will know, because we’re dealing with liars. So I don’t know how we can ever declare this over.”

Commissioners Frederick, Engelhart, Tom Olsen, Kedar Deshpande, Kay Carvajal Moran and Jason Garcia voted in favor of the moratorium. Cathy Abene, Meg Forney and Charles Rucker voted against.

“I don’t see that we’re solving a problem that is other than the outpouring of compassion and trying to do things in this moment,” Abene said, rationalizing her no vote. “We don’t need to do this at this point, and I think it leaves too many open ends about other reasons why somebody might need to be evicted, although I seriously doubt the Park Board is going to be evicting anyone.”