Walz tells ICE to ‘stay away’ from Minnesota schools after series of incidents near campuses

Local and state leaders urged federal immigration agents to stay away from Minnesota schools as a surge of agents descended on the state and one day after a Minneapolis woman was shot by an ICE agent.

Minneapolis Public Schools canceled classes and activities at all schools Jan. 8-9 citing “safety concerns,” while in St. Paul, the school district canceled all field trips to Minneapolis. From St. Paul to Richfield, parents or staff were also on high alert, increasing their presence outside schools or on school buses.

Monica Byron, the president of the statewide teachers union, Education Minnesota, demanded that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stay away from the state’s schools, saying in a statement that ICE’s operations near schools put students and educators at risk, and undermines teaching and learning.

“This is not a partisan issue — it is a moral one," she said.

Gov. Tim Walz also urged elected officials to speak out against ICE’s presence at schools.

“I can’t say this strongly enough as governor, as a parent, as a teacher — to our elected representatives ... I beg you, I implore you, to tell them to stay out of our schools," he said at a news conference Thursday. “This tragedy will be magnified a hundredfold if this fight moves into the hallways of our public schools among our youth.”

Walz added that his office had fielded a number of calls from parents asking if they should send their kids to school or not.

ICE says it will not raid schools or target children. Regardless, neighborhood sympathizers — often marked by the colorful plastic whistles that many observers wear on lanyards around their necks — are keeping watch over schools with high immigrant populations.

Less than 3 miles from the ICE shooting Wednesday, Roosevelt High School instituted a lockout after armed federal agents showed up on the school lawn after classes had ended for the day, according to an email to families and a Facebook post from the school’s principal, Christian Alberto Ledesma.

Jennifer Newberg, a Roosevelt parent, was near the school and said she saw U.S. Border Patrol agents drag someone from a vehicle with smashed windows. Traffic started backing up on 28th Avenue and the law enforcement vehicles were boxed in, she said.

“A crowd grew and started yelling, telling agents that this was a school, which I found was actually kind of effective,” Newberg said.

Some students and school staff were in the crowd and there were several “flash points,” mostly with members of the crowd who approached the agents’ vehicles, she said.

Newberg said she saw agents tackle and handcuff people and she saw the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Gregory Bovino, also at the scene.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol agents were conducting immigration enforcement operations in the area when a U.S. citizen was “actively trying to impede operations.” She added that he “rammed his vehicle into a government vehicle” and authorities began a 5-mile chase until arriving near the school.

“At no point was a school, students, or staff targeted, and agents would not have been near this location if not for the dangerous actions of this individual,” she said.

McLaughlin added that a person who identified himself as a teacher “proceeded to assault a Border Patrol agent” and “rioters threw objects and dispersed paint on the officers and their vehicles.” She said no tear gas was used but officers used “targeted crowd control.”

In a statement, the Minneapolis Federation of Educators said an educator was arrested and released, and that agents had deployed tear gas at the scene.

At Education Minnesota, Byron added that the “unjust detention” of an educator and agents pepper spraying students is “unconscionable in a civil society.”

Minneapolis City Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, whose ward includes Roosevelt, arrived at the scene after receiving a flurry of texts from educators and community members.

“There were moms who were really shaken up and who were hugging,” Chowdhury said in an interview Thursday. “They’re my neighborhood moms. It was quite the scene.”

Federal authorities have no business being on school property and spraying chemical irritants, she added.

“There is no reason for them to go into attack mode in a place where children go to learn,” she said. “The best they can do is leave immediately.”

In a statement Thursday the school district said the incident involving federal law enforcement agents is under investigation by the district, Minnesota’s third largest, which is working to support individuals who were affected.

“Minneapolis Public Schools is committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming learning environment for all of our students,” the district added.

The St. Paul school district called off field trips to Minneapolis on Thursday — along with student participation in athletic events there Thursday and Friday.

The decision meant Como Park High could not send students to a Minnesota Youth In Government event beginning Thursday and running through the weekend, district spokeswoman Erica Wacker said.

She added parents and neighbors also were coming up with ways to support students at schools throughout the city, including Central High, by forming carpools and by walking with kids to and from schools.

In Richfield, where more than 43% of the school district’s students are Hispanic or Latino, Superintendent Steven Unowsky said in messages to families sent Wednesday that the school district has received reports of unidentified vehicles near school routes — and in some cases following students or families — raising concerns about possible immigration enforcement activity, though officials said they could not confirm the vehicles were affiliated with ICE.

Unowsky emphasized that all students have a constitutional right to attend school regardless of immigration status and that schools must be “a safe haven for learning.” The district’s schools will remain open on a normal schedule, he said, but the district will excuse student absences on Thursday or Friday for families who feel uncomfortable sending their child to class.

The district has increased staff presence during arrival and dismissal times and added supervision on buses, Unowsky said in one of the messages to families. Another message urged students to travel in groups and families to report suspicious activity, including the presence of unmarked cars.

Unowsky said the district does not collect immigration-status information and would not release students to federal agents without proper legal authorization, adding that counselors and other staff are available to support students and families during the uncertainty.

“We stand with ALL our families,” Unowsky wrote in the message. “You belong here, and you are welcome in our schools.”

Amid slippery sidewalks and snowbanks, a diverse group of an estimated 200 to 400 students walked just over a mile and back from the high school to the community center, shouting “What do we want? ICE to be gone. When do we want it? Now!”

Four police cars were in the area as the students marched, and their principal, Vichai Saefong, walked with them to ensure students’ safety.

“All of the ICE raids are making everyone feel unsafe,” said senior Sam Peterson, 18.

ICE raids have been happening close to New Brighton, said Alexander Escobar, 18, a senior. “It put so many of our students in an outrage.”

Students noted that Irondale is a diverse school where students of color comprise more than half of the student body, and there is a strong sense of community.

Selena, a sophomore, said she helped organize the walkout because ICE was “murdering people,” referring to Wednesday’s shooting. She said ICE was starting to come to schools and causing harm.

“Trump needs to get out of here,” said a student named Faduma. “He’s also coming after us, as in Somali people.”

As students returned from the walk, they were not allowed back into the school, which is standard policy when a student leaves campus during the day as a safety measure, Saefong said. In a letter to parents later, Saefong said the school supports students’ rights to peacefully assemble as long as it’s not disruptive, but school officials cannot ensure their safety.

Sophomore Mohamed said the march made him happy “because a bunch of Somali and white and a lot of cultures came together to protest ICE.”