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In January 2026, Minnesota has become the epicenter of a harrowing federal enforcement surge known as Operation Metro Surge, an unprecedented occupation that has transformed the Twin Cities into a militarized zone. An estimated 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agents have been deployed, a number nearly five times the size of the City of Minneapolis’s 600 person police force. What was framed as a targeted immigration operation has escalated into a widespread human rights crisis, marked by the fatal shootings of two residents— Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti -- by federal agents. The League of Women Voters strongly opposes this occupation. LWV UMRR Vice-Chair Sheila Weigman lives in Minneapolis; here's her first hand-account:
There is deep sadness with the loss of life, injustices in how people are treated, and the methods used. It’s hard for me to believe this is our country! The ICE campaign is out of proportion to the problem and unnecessarily harsh in Minnesota. While there is tension, questioning, and fear in Minneapolis, an overwhelming sense of community, too, is present, with protesters sharing our feelings and beliefs. Folks are caring for each other by watching out for each other, providing for food, transportation, and other needs, making sure our kids get to school and back, and praying together. Networks of communication and distribution have developed. We are the city that lost George Floyd and our innocence, recovering with new understandings for the police and people here. Compassion and the good works are apparent and provide ease to some of what often feels outrageous. Minnesota Strong, Minnesota Kind! - Sheila Wiegman, LWV UMRR Vice Chair and Minneapolis Resident Take Action: LWV MN and LWV US encourage voters to defend our communities and our democracy Operation Metro Surge has brought violent, indiscriminate enforcement tactics into our communities—eroding trust, endangering lives, and undermining constitutional rights. At the same time, federal demands for access to Minnesota’s voter registration data in exchange for federal cooperation should alarm people of all political affiliations. In moments like this, silence is not neutral. We need our elected leaders to hear from us, loudly and clearly. We invite League members to take action by contacting state legislators and urging them to stand firm in defense of civil liberties, community safety, voter privacy, and the freedom to participate in our democracy without fear or intimidation. Your voice matters—now is the time to use it. You can start here: LWV Minneapolis: The League of Women Voters of Minneapolis has a robust website with extensive resources relating to the ICE occupation - check it out at the button below. LWV Minnesota: LWV's actions are based on our positions, which are approved by the membership through a consensus process. Following are LWV positions relating to immigration: Supporting statements from League of Women Voters: Due Process
Stay Minnesota Strong, Minnesota Kind:
Immigration is stitched into the very fabric of this country, with most of us being immigrants who live alongside and with the land’s Tribal Nations. The Twin Cities is a mosaic of diverse, valued communities living on ancestral Dakota and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) land. But the alarming xenophobia being carried out in our names, including neighbors and friends deported without due process or accountability, goes against that fact and against the social, cultural, and economic benefit of the United States and the hearts of Minnesotans. The League of Women Voters believes in a reformed immigration system that should promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business, and employment needs of the United States; and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises. We believe that change can start in our own backyard by standing with our neighbors in this moment. Stay Minnesota strong, stay Minnesota kind.  Keah Brown is a disability advocate and freelance writer who is best known for creating the viral hashtag #DisabledAndCute to dispel the myth that being disabled and attractive are mutually exclusive. Pop culture is one of her passions and she works to increase the visibility of people with disabilities in media in hopes it might shift the cultural view of disability. While Brown does not pretend to speak for all people with disabilities, her essays in The Pretty One, the LWV ABC May Book Club selection, raise some interesting points to think about:
Keah Brown has cerebral palsy, which causes her disability. Here's a website that provides information on identifying and living with CP: birthinjurycenter.org/cerebral-palsy/ Join the LWV ABC Book and Film Club Discussions!
 In May 2021, Sahan Journal and MPR News collaborated on series called ChangeMakers to ask this question. Civil Rights Organizer Bo Thao-Urabe described the Minnesota AAPI community as unique with over 60% are Southeast Asians who came post the wars in Southeast Asia - Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and Myanmar – compared to only 10% from Southeast Asian in most states. Minnesota also has a high number of adoptions of Chinese and Korean (15,000) babies, as well as “Medical Alley” that is now bringing in a lot of educated workers from China and India. Lily Tung Crystal of Theater Mu noted that “one of the reasons why we think that the violence is happening is because other people often see Asian Americans as not truly American, or other, or even subhuman.” Community Organizer Anthea Yur wants the Asian community to confront racism head on and hoped “that we can start breaking this narrative of being the model minorities, being considered subservient. When your parents are first-generation immigrants, there is a level of survival that you’re taught. You’re taught not to resist.”
 June is Pride Month, a month focused on the visibility of LGBTQ+ people and celebrating movement toward equality. June was chosen to celebrated Pride to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, often considered the start of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. In the 1960's, in many cities, including New York, bars could lose their liquor license for simply serving gay patrons. A 1967 New York Court of Appeals decision opened bars to gay patrons, but bars could still lose their liquor license if patrons engaged in "disorderly conduct". Given that homosexuality was still criminalized, law enforcement interpreted "disorderly conduct" to mean same sex kissing, holding hands or dancing. In response, the Mafia opened private bottle clubs, including the Stonewall Inn, which did not require a liquor license because patrons were supposed to bring their own liquor. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn and arrested 13 people, including employees for bootleg liquor and patrons for violating the state's gender-appropriate clothing statute. Patrons who refused to disburse and neighborhood residents became increasingly agitated as patrons were aggressively manhandled by police, sparking violence by the bystanders. Protests, sometimes violent, continued over the next six days, sometimes involving several thousand people. The protests received almost no news coverage but were a catalyst for organizing for LGBTQ+ rights. Within a year of Stonewall, LGBTQ+ rights organizations rose from about 50 in 1968 to over 1000 organizations. The first gay Pride parade was held in New York City in 1970 to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising. The term "Pride" was coined by Craig Schoonmaker, one of the organizers of the parade "not as a slogan so much as an understanding that people should be proud and not ashamed". Pride parades are now held throughout the world, with 5 million people attending the 2019 WorldPride parade in New York City. In 2016, the Stonewall Inn and surrounding area were declared a National Monument.
The History and Legacy of the Indian Residential School at the University of Minnesota Morris1/2/2022
For further information:
https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2016/06/sad-legacy-american-indian-boarding-schools-minnesota-and-us/ https://www.minnpost.com/national/2021/07/federal-government-looks-to-address-the-legacy-of-indian-boarding-schools-including-in-minnesota/ https://morris.umn.edu/morris-boarding-schools https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/the-history-of-minnesotas-native-american-boarding-schools/89-78048d07-1af1-475f-bf15-0a47fc59bfe6 https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/10/26/a-reckoning-monastic-order-apologizes-for-native-boarding-school https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/06/22/us-official-to-address-legacy-of-indigenous-boarding-schools DEI Chairperson needed! Take the DEI survey! Join the DEI Roundtable!  LWV ABC seeks a Chair for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Committee In April 2021, LWV ABC membership added a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to our bylaws in keeping with the updated LWVUS bylaws. Following our annual membership meeting, the LWV ABC Board created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. (See Duties of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in our online Member Handbook). The LWV ABC Board appointed new member Shalonda Gordon as DEI chair. Shalonda brought a wealth of DEI experience and training to the position. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for Shalonda, she was offered a great career opportunity in North Carolina in August and has since moved to there. Therefore, LWV ABC is seeking a new chair for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. If you are interested in chairing this vital committee or want more information about this opportunity, send an email to [email protected].  DEI Membership Survey (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion)
Prior to her move to North Carolina, Shalonda had begun work on a DEI survey. DEI surveys help organizations benchmark the current status of DEI within the organization and develop a DEI program. Please complete our DEI survey at https://forms.gle/mEgAYk8C5HmfFVHR6 DEI Roundtable (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Membership Chair Pat Kennedy has begun attending the DEI Roundtable sponsored by LWV Crystal New Hope East Plymouth Robbinsdale (CNHEPR) on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6:30pm. The meeting is open to all LWV members to start the conversation about what it means to implement a DEI policy and how to turn those words into action. The purpose of the roundtable is to have a candid conversation in order to exchange ideas, talk about what has worked in reaching underserved communities, discuss the challenges, and even get some ideas for "homework". If you are interested in attending the DEI roundtable, please contact Michelle Jayne at [email protected].  LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in principle and in practice. DEI is central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy. Most LWVMN Convention 2021 Workshops and Roundtables were recorded and can be watched on the LWVMN Convention 2021 webpage. DEI related recordings:  Another workshop held at LWVMN Convention 2021, Feminism in Black and White, was a discussion workshop limited to 25 people and was not recorded. Discussion centered on the Duke University podcast Scene on Radio: Season 4: The Land That Never Has Been Yet, Episode 5 Feminism in Black and White. Other episodes of the Scene on Radio Podcast recommended to attendees of the workshop:
Articles recommended on the resource list from the Feminism in Black and White Workshop:
Do you have an article, podcast or video you would like to share with members? Email your suggestions to [email protected].  March is Women’s History Month and the Minnesota History Center opened both its Extraordinary Women exhibit and continues to highlight extraordinary Minnesota women in its online Votes For Women exhibit. Some history articles highlighting extraordinary Minnesota women:  LWV ABC’s April Book Club selection “Sisters in Hate” focuses on three women involved in the white nationalist movement. Some other resources related to white supremacy in the US:
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