On January 30, educators and children from the Twin Cities demonstrated in front of the governor’s mansion in St. Paul, Minn., led by rank-and-file members of Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) Local 59, to demand that Gov. Tim Walz enact a statewide eviction moratorium. On the same day, a press conference was held in front of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) building in downtown Minneapolis, calling on the agency to pause evictions proceedings while ICE activity continues across the state.

Activists say that the federal deployment of masked, armed federal agents to the state has made the eviction moratorium urgent. While ICE officials have announced a drawback of ICE activity in Minnesota, some argue that the economic damage has already been done, and that many will be scrambling to keep up with rent payments in the coming months.