Minnesota children detained, businesses lost millions during ICE surge, state report finds

Sofia Barnett, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Nov 1, 2026

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More than 70 Minnesota children were detained by federal immigration officers last winter, while workers and businesses lost hundreds of millions of dollars during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a preliminary report released Saturday by a state council.

The report, issued by the Minnesota Truth Council, documents the far-reaching consequences of Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS, drawing on government data, academic research and testimony from Minnesotans affected by the federal operations.

The report release comes just a few days before Election Day, which Democrats have sought to make a referendum on Donald Trump’s administration.

Among the findings: About a third of the children detained between Dec. 1, 2025, and March 10, 2026, were held for more than 20 days. More than 30 were sent to an immigration detention center in South Texas, including a girl who remained there for six weeks.

The consequences extended beyond children taken into federal custody.

A statewide survey found that 80% of public school leaders reported that the immigration operations negatively affected students’ ability to learn. More than three-quarters of schools reported increased absences, including 95% of schools in the Twin Cities metro area.

In Willmar, nearly 30% of public school students, or roughly 936 children, stayed home on an average day during the week of Jan. 12, after a student was detained.

The disruption also extended to health care. Children’s Minnesota reported an 80% increase in missed pediatric appointments among Spanish-speaking families compared with the previous two years.

The economic toll was similarly substantial.

Workers in Minneapolis and St. Paul lost an estimated $244 million in wages, according to research from the University of California San Diego cited by the council. Businesses surveyed in Minneapolis reported an estimated $445 million in lost revenue, including nearly $83 million among restaurants and $64 million among retailers.

About 60% of Minneapolis businesses reported that the federal operation negatively affected their operations, with restaurants, retailers and service businesses particularly hard hit.

The figures were drawn from studies and data previously released this year and compiled by the council as part of its broader effort to document the consequences of the immigration crackdown.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on the council’s findings.

Gov. Tim Walz established the 15-member council in March to create a public record of the federal operations and their effects on Minnesota communities. The council has no subpoena power or law enforcement authority.

In a letter accompanying the preliminary report, council chairman Peter Cahill, a retired Hennepin County judge, said the operations caused lasting harm to Minnesotans.

“Fear, disruption, and the ensuing psychological trauma are substantive harms, not merely side effects,” Cahill wrote.

More than 700 Minnesotans have shared individual accounts with trained story collectors, according to the report. The council is expected to deliver its final findings and recommendations Dec. 1.