Jon Collins

Minneapolis | Heavyweight In part one, Jonathan and his wife, Emily, check in. In part two, the story of a family forced into hiding after an ICE shooting.

It took me a while to make myself listen to the Minneapolis episode by @heavyweight.bsky.social. They bring listeners into the frustration and chaos when a federal government sends armed, anonymous agents into a state. The human toll is heartbreaking, as we here know.
www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/hea...

I love that payphone and want to know the back story. It really works, by the way!

Red Lake Nation chair calls for lake and land return, takes aim at ICE and DNR The Red Lake Nation held its 2026 state of the band address Friday to provide updates on tribal issues and programs.

The leader of the Red Lake Nation is pushing for the tribe to regain parts of Upper Red Lake and some state forest lands, while criticizing ICE and the Minnesota DNR for policies he says harm the community.

DFL lawmakers seek to make ICE agents liable for not providing aid after shootings The proposal would expose people who don’t render aid after a shooting to civil liability. It’s part of a series of bills introduced in the Legislature after the immigration agent surge.

The bill seeks to expand upon current Minnesota law that makes it a crime to not assess the victim and provide aid after shooting someone or witnessing a shooting, as long as it is safe to do so.

Andrew Arrest Fallout, Colbert Calls BS, Zuck Pushes Back by Pivot

Pretty amusing to hear the @pivotpod.bsky.social talk about doing a live show in Minneapolis. @karaswisher.bsky.social at one point says something like, "I know the perfect guy there...Tane Danger!" megaphone.link/VMP6248725612

👀The federal judges in West Virginia, where ICE has been pulling over and detaining people on the freeway, are literally screaming about ICE's tactics.

"It is an assault on the constitutional order," Judge Goodwin says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The mess that Kristi Noem made The drama at the Department of Homeland Security, explained.

The drama at the Department of Homeland Security, explained. www.vox.com/politics/479...

‘Fewer than 500’ ICE agents left in Minnesota, per federal officials • Minnesota Reformer That’s still three times the pre-surge number of ICE agents in Minnesota, which was 150.

Angie Craig says DHS told her there are fewer than 500 ICE agents in Minnesota — and that she’s taking everything DHS says with a grain of salt.

There were around 150 ICE agents here prior to the surge.

Joanne Bland, lifelong Civil Rights activist and founder of Selma's Foot Soldiers Park, dies Bland grew up in Selma and became involved in the Civil Rights Movement as a child foot soldier in the 1960s, participating in the historic Selma voting rights marches, including Bloody Sunday.

Joanne Bland, one of the youngest people to march on “Bloody Sunday,” has died. She was 72.

"By the time I was 11-years-old, I had been arrested at least 13 documented times”

Photojournalist shot at with pepper balls amid immigration operation Freelance photojournalist Tim Evans was shot at with pepper balls and subjected to other chemical irritants by federal agents while …

Freelance photojournalist Tim Evans was targeted by federal agents three times while on assignment for @reuters.com covering anti-ICE protests in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area in January.

On Jan. 12, an agent shot at his feet with pepper balls:

Judge who allowed FBI to search Washington Post reporter’s home rips into Justice Department | CNN Politics A federal judge ripped into the Justice Department on Friday for failing to inform him of the applicability of a law intended to protect journalists from government searches and seizures when it asked...

BREAKING: Judge who allowed FBI to search Washington Post reporter’s home rips into Justice Department for not informing him of the law that explicitly bars raids of reporters

For those who wanted more info, I'm just noting what people tell me every day. But I've noticed two kind of mantras in Minneapolis. One is "We keep us safe." The other is, "No one is coming to save us."

The level of anger normal Minnesota people have at their elected representatives is palpable. It's not about party, but the perceived failure of local/state electeds to do anything of substance to protect residents who pay their taxes and get left facing off alone against masked, armed men.

Third American death linked to ICE crackdown uncovered by Newsweek While the 23-year-old's death was reported in March 2025, it was not made clear that a federal agent fired the fatal shot.

“Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot by an ICE Homeland Security Investigations officer in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025, after what ICE described as a failure to follow law enforcement instructions during a traffic incident.”

www.newsweek.com/ice-agent-fa...

‘This isn’t living, right?’: Minnesota immigrants share their stories while in hiding from ICE MPR News connected with five immigrants across Minnesota who have been scared to leave their homes over the last six weeks, due to fears of encountering ICE. Each person recorded voice memos or spoke ...

For more than two months, Minnesotans in immigrant communities have been in hiding – fearing arrest, detention or deportation.

MPR News connected with five immigrants who have been scared to leave their homes.

The latest on ICE in Minnesota Live updates on ICE enforcement in Minnesota, with the latest developments and links to deeper reporting as events unfold.

Friday liveblog from @mprnews.org on the ICE surge www.mprnews.org/live-updates

Attorney Mevlüde Akay Alp said stance is unprecedented & dangerous: “Everybody should be disturbed by this & by the administration’s insistence that they have the right to indefinitely detain people who have legal status and who are not accused of any wrongdoing.” (4) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

U.S. Department of Justice attorney Brantley Mayers argued that refugees can be subject to arrest as continuation of their initial interview on entry to the country. The government has argued that they have discretion to break from past practice. (3) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

One refugee was arrested Jan. 11 when an agent in street clothes knocked on his door to say he’d hit the man's car. The agent initially described the wrong car but returned minutes later with new description. When the man went outside, he was surrounded/arrested. (2) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Immigration advocates challenge federal refugee policy in court Advocates are challenging the government’s stance that they can now investigate and detain refugees who are not yet permanent residents. The case could affect 5,600 people in Minnesota who are origina...

“These are warrantless, surprise arrests of law-abiding individuals who were approved before entering this country,” said attorney E. Michelle Drake. “This is exactly what the Fourth Amendment was concerned about.” (1) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the ‘banality of evil personified’ in the U.S. immigration crackdown.

One tipster called after she went to Publix and the worker who helped her find the water didn't speak English. “And then she did help you find the water?"
Palmer asked on the call, to which the woman responded,
"Right, she walked me right to it." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Data shows major drop in number of ICE detainees being transferred out of state Flight observer data shows a downward trend in the number of ICE detainees being transferred out of state — an indication that federal enforcement activity could be easing.

After peaking at 246 people boarding planes at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in a single day in early January, totals have been steadily declining with a rapid drop off in February.

But activists tracking the flights say their work isn't over.

Kidney transplant recipient is back home in Minnesota after two weeks in ICE custody A kidney transplant recipient who had been in ICE custody in Texas for two weeks without access to many of his life-saving medications finally returned home in Minnesota Thursday night.

After Javier Abreu-Vasquez was released from the ICE detention center in El Paso Wednesday, two Minnesota nonprofits worked to coordinate Abreu-Vasquez’s stay at Annunciation House, a local El Paso nonprofit.

Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. n.pr/46PHPVX

Sen. Tina Smith on ICE: "We need to tear it down to the studs and start over. There is a rottenness to this agency that can't be solved by some simple guardrails around their behavior, but we have to start somewhere, and I’m looking to minimize the harm that can be done.”

Sen. Tina Smith on Senate negotiations: “The negotiations have not been going well. There have been some offers traded back and forth. I know that the Democrats in the Senate continue to try to negotiate in good faith, but so far, there has not been much movement that I'm aware of.”

U.S. Sen Tina Smith says she and Sen. Klobuchar have sent a letter to US AG Pam Bondi telling her how important it is that the federal government allow state investigators access to evidence in Alex Pretti's killing by federal officers in January.

Hating everything that Bono touches is the most Irish thing about me.

How Isle, population 800, became Minnesota’s only city to sign an agreement with ICE The Mille Lacs Lake town stands to gain training and federal money for equipment in the deal.

Isle is the first city in Minnesota to sign a 287(g) contract: "[T]he city could get $100,000 for a new police car and $7,500 for equipment for each trained officer, which is not insignificant for a city with an annual public safety budget of $830,000." www.startribune.com/how-isle-pop...

Key details on the mechanics of ICE and federal governent surges here: "And while he didn’t give them specifics, Liggins said that increases in other states have tended to follow when local governments curb cooperation and enforcement, Popkin said."