What's really happening in Minnesota?

Summary

Consider This from NPR: "What's Really Happening in Minnesota?"

Air Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow
Guests/Reporters: Jasmine Garsd and Kat Lonsdorf

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the escalating federal immigration enforcement campaign in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its sweeping impacts on the city’s residents and communities. Host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR reporters Jasmine Garsd and Kat Lonsdorf, who have been on the ground, documenting personal stories, local resistance, and growing tension as ICE operations become increasingly aggressive. The episode explores both the human costs of the crackdown and the widespread, grassroots responses emerging throughout Minneapolis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Scope and Intensity of ICE Operations

• Increased Federal Presence: The federal government's campaign to arrest undocumented immigrants in Minneapolis has grown "bigger, more aggressive, more intense," with at least 2,500 agents currently on the ground—an unprecedented scale for a city the size of Minneapolis.
  • Jasmine Garsd (02:38):

    "I think I was surprised by the scope of the campaign In Minneapolis... there are at least 2,500 agents on the ground here. So the scope is really something like we haven't seen."

• Actions and Consequences: Individuals such as Renee Macklin Goode have been killed, and children have been detained. Family members and children live in fear and isolation.
  • Host (00:00):

    "Renee Macklin Goode has been shot and killed. Children have been detained. And the federal government's campaign... has only grown bigger."

Widespread Community Resistance and Solidarity

• Massive Protests and Closures: Thousands took to the streets, and over 600 local businesses closed in solidarity with immigrants (00:15–00:36).
  • Mary Vavres, Resident (00:36):

    "Everybody is all in on this project because, you know, it's them today, but it could be anybody next. And so we should... be as strong a front as we can possibly be."

• Underground Networks: A significant portion of the resistance is taking place through underground channels—especially due to the harsh winter. Residents organize rides, deliver groceries, and support one another via encrypted communication apps and informal networks.
  • Kat Lonsdorf (03:29):

    "They're really connected in this kind of underground way through these signal chats, these huge networks. You know, people are getting up early to drive teachers to school... delivering groceries, reworking all their schedules just to... help their neighbors."

Hostility to the ICE Operation

• Virtual Consensus of Opposition: Neither reporter encountered significant local support for ICE's actions; even those who previously backed Trump are now opposed due to the impact on their city and communities.
  • Jasmine Garsd (04:25):

    "It's hard to overstate how widespread the animosity towards this operation is. People in Minnesota, Minneapolis, are not happy about this."

  • Kat Lonsdorf, on immigrant Uber driver (04:35):

    "He said, no, absolutely not. He hates what's happening in the city right now."

Profound Anxiety and Changes to Daily Life

• Family Isolation: Many families, including U.S. citizens, are effectively trapped in their homes. Children are pulled out of school; even citizens are living in fear of ICE raids.
  • Kat Lonsdorf (05:13):

    "Her 8 year old son was going to school, but recently they pulled him out... she told me that her 4 year old daughter... has not left the house since late November or early December. That's almost two weeks."

• Human Cost: The psychological toll on children, families, and the broader community is pronounced; people are afraid to do even the most basic things, like letting their children play outdoors.

The Growing Volunteer Response

• Volunteer Networks: Community members of all ages, including elderly residents, are volunteering to protect their neighbors, even under adverse weather conditions.
  • Jasmine Garsd (06:13):

    "I stood with these volunteers who were standing in the blustering wind to protect their neighbors who wanted to pray. And their age ranges were 69 to 81. And I think the story of Minneapolis is the story of neighbors organizing to protect neighbors."

  • Volunteer, via Jasmine (06:45):

    "I don't feel like I have a choice. I feel like this is my only choice."

Escalating Tactics and Legal Concerns

• More Aggressive Policing: ICE operations are becoming "heavier handed," with apparent disregard for judicial oversight.
  • Jasmine Garsd (07:29):

    "We're now seeing... a memo that was leaked that agents can go into people's homes without a judicial warrant... There is now talk of the Insurrection Act."

• Alarming Precedents: The situation is distinctly not static; the tactics are intensifying, contributing to a heightened atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Community Solidarity:
  Mary Vavres (00:36):

  "Everybody is all in on this project because, you know, it's them today, but it could be anybody next."

• No Local Support for ICE:
  Jasmine Garsd (04:25):

  "It's hard to overstate how widespread the animosity towards this operation is."

• Impact on Children:
  Kat Lonsdorf (05:59):

  "Has not left the house. Not playing in the backyard, not walking the family dog. She has not left the house."

• Desperation and Agency:
  Volunteer, via Jasmine Garsd (06:45):

  "I don't feel like I have a choice. I feel like this is my only choice."

• Escalation Warning:
  Jasmine Garsd (07:29):

  "This isn't a static situation. This is a situation which, as a reporter who's been covering this for the last year, feels like it is devolving."

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Important Timestamps

• 00:00–00:36: Overview of ICE operation, community response, and local impacts
• 02:18–03:27: Reporters’ initial observations and surprise at the scope of the federal campaign
• 03:29–04:25: How resistance is organized in Minneapolis, both public and underground
• 04:25–05:13: Lack of local support for ICE measures; shifting opinions among immigrants
• 05:13–06:06: Personal stories illustrating daily fear and psychological impact
• 06:13–07:10: The nature, scale, and moral drive of grassroots volunteer efforts
• 07:29–08:28: The escalating, aggressive tactics of ICE and warnings for the future

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Tone and Language

The episode is matter-of-fact yet charged with emotion, reflecting the urgency of the crisis and the deep community commitment being displayed in Minneapolis. There is a clear sense of alarm regarding the direction of federal enforcement tactics and empathy for the individuals and families experiencing life-altering fear.

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Conclusion

This installment of Consider This offers a vivid, on-the-ground portrait of a city under strain from unprecedented federal immigration enforcement. It underscores the deep community ties and cross-demographic resistance that have emerged in response, as well as the increasingly aggressive approach of federal authorities. Through firsthand interviews and reflection, the episode highlights both the lived experiences of affected families and the moral resolve of ordinary Minnesotans standing in solidarity with their neighbors.

Transcript

[A]

It's been nearly two months since ICE descended on the streets of Minneapolis. In that time, Renee Macklin Goode has been shot and killed. Children have been detained. And the federal government's campaign to arrest undocumented immigrants has only grown bigger, more aggressive, more intense. And each step of the way, Minnesotans have protested what has been happening in their state, including Friday afternoon when thousands took to the streets and 600 local businesses closed in solidarity. Mary Vavres lives in South Minneapolis.

[B]

Everybody is all in on this project because, you know, it's them today, but it could be anybody next. And so we should, you know, be as strong a front as we can possibly be.

[A]

And even as the campaign from the federal government ramps up, 37 year old Talia Pletcher says she and her neighbors are in it for the long haul.

[B]

I haven't heard anyone have that conversation.

[C]

Of like, how long can we like sustain this? I really think we'll do this for as long as we need to.

[A]

Consider this. So much has happened since ICE began ramping up its efforts in Minneapolis. It can be hard to get a sense of the big picture. Coming up, two NPR reporters on the ground do just that. From npr, I'm Scott Detrow. NPR's podcast Trump's terms is your source for same day updates on big news about the Trump administration. Short, focused episodes, one topic at a time, about five minutes or so. We carry out reporting from across all of NPR's coverage. So you are always getting the biggest, most urgent stories. Listen to Trump's Terms on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. It's consider this from NPR. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf and Jasmine Garsd have been covering the Trump administration's efforts to round up and deport undocumented immigrants for months. They've done it in several cities. The pair has been tracking events daily since the ICE campaign in Minnesota intensified about two weeks ago. They joined me to give me some perspective on what they have learned as they have reported this story. Jasmine, Kat, thanks for being here.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[C]

Hey, thanks for having us.

[A]

You have both filed so many stories about what is happening day in and day out. After we have this conversation, you're gonna go out and cover protests. There's so much happening. I want to start with this. What has surprised each of you since you got to Minneapolis? Jasmine, I'll start with you.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

So I've been covering these operations for the last year. I came pretty prepared for what was happening. I think I was surprised by the scope of the campaign In Minneapolis. I mean, it is not a city as big as Los Angeles, and there are at least 2,500 agents on the ground here. So the scope is really something like we haven't seen. You know, Greg Bevino from Border Patrol, he has had very frequent press conferences. You know, on Thursday, he gave a press conference in which he said that the government is here to defend Ma and Pa. And he said this over and over again. Ma and Pa were here to protect Ma and Pa. But what I'm seeing on the ground is that Ma and Pa are protesting.

[A]

And, Kat, what are you seeing?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, I think that's a really good point that Jasmine just made about Ma and Pa. You know, it's also really cold here. So people aren't necessarily, like, out on the streets protesting. Obviously, today they are, but, you know, they're really connected in this kind of underground way through these signal chats, these huge networks. You know, people are getting up early to drive teachers to school. They're getting up early to drive restaurant workers in their neighborhood to their jobs, delivering groceries, reworking all their schedules just to, like, be helping their neighbors. And, you know, I'm hearing from all these people that are doing that stuff that for them, that is their form of protest.

[A]

Yeah, I think a big theme of the past decade is how much we all live in silos. And Jasmine, as you reported, especially so much. Trump promised to basically do all of this, and it was popular with a lot of voters. So I'm wondering, as you're both in Minneapolis, have either of you come across anybody who is supportive of what ICE is doing?

[B]

No, I have not. And it's hard to overstate how widespread the animosity towards this operation is. People in Minnesota, Minneapolis, are not happy about this.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I was talking to an Uber driver the other day who was an immigrant, by the way, came from Liberia some 30 years ago. But he was telling me that, you know, before all of this, before the election, he was pro Trump. He said, you know, I like what he was saying. He said it straight, that kind of thing. So I asked him, you know, would you go back and vote for Trump, you know, again, if you could? And he said, no, absolutely not. He hates what's happening in the city right now.

[A]

Kat, this is something you and I have talked a lot about with a lot of different stories. You talk to so many people, and there's conversations that stick with you weeks, months, even years later, and you're right in the middle of it. So maybe it's hard to Say, but at this point in time, what's sticking with you?

[C]

There is one woman who I really think is gonna stick with me for a while. This woman who's 27, she is a US citizen, she has two young kids, they're also US citizens. Her husband is undocumented and from Mexico. And I met with her in her home and they're all together as a family, not leaving their house right now. This is really common. You hear this a lot from people that you meet. And you know, she leaves to go to a retail job and comes back because she needs to earn money for the family. But you know, her husband doesn't leave. Her 8 year old son was going to school, but recently they pulled him out and he's online schooling right now. And she told me that her 4 year old daughter, this is a 4 year old who is a US citizen, has not left the house since late November or early December. That's almost two weeks.

[A]

Hasn't left the house.

[C]

Has not left the house. Not playing in the backyard, not walking the family dog. She has not left the house.

[A]

Jasmine, your reporting this week has been really powerful and really at times visceral. And I'm wondering what's sticking with you.

[B]

To me, what's really sticking with me is this underground network of volunteers. It is really cold here, even by Minneapolis standards. And the other day I went to this neighborhood where there was, it was prayer at a mosque and I stood with these volunteers who were standing in the blustering wind to protect their neighbors who wanted to pray. And their age ranges were 69 to 81. And I think the story of Minneapolis is the story of neighbors organizing to protect neighbors. And I asked one of them, you know, why are you standing out here in the cold? Why did you choose to come out here? And she said, I don't feel like I have a choice. I feel like this is my only choice.

[A]

You know, I want to end with this. We're trying in this conversation to get a sense of the big picture here, but we all tell the story piece by piece, story by story, and at times some context gets lost there. I'm curious like Jasmine, what to you is a dynamic that you're seeing that's hard to convey in a single story that you file.

[B]

I think the escalating nature of what is happening, it is escalating. I mean, I have been covering this from city to city for the last year. And I think, you know, it's, it's easy to see this as, you know, these operations travel from city to city, state to state. It's always kind of the same. It's not they are getting heavier handed. You know, we are now seeing, you know, a memo that was leaked that agents can go into people's homes without a judicial warrant. We are now seeing 2,500 agents deployed into the city. There is now talk of the Insurrection Act. And, you know, to put it more bluntly, you know, in a city not so far away from you, there are children who are hiding in their homes. And so, I mean, this isn't a static situation. This is a situation which, as a reporter who's been covering this for the last year, feels like it is devolving.

[A]

That was NPR's Jasmine Garsd and Kat Lonsdorf. They're both uncovering the ongoing federal immigration operation and backlash to it in Minnesota. Thanks to both of you.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

This episode was produced by Michael Levitt with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Eric Westervelt. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. Thank you to our Consider THIS plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors, and they unlock bonus episodes of Consider this. You can Learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.

[C]

Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get consider this [e-mail] that's plus npr.org.