Noem’s firing is little comfort to Minneapolis residents struggling to recover from crackdown

Immigration Crackdown Aftermath Leaves Minneapolis Businesses on Brink of Closure

Daniel Hernandez stands at a crossroads. His grocery store in south Minneapolis, which has served Latino families for over five years, faces possible closure due to the lasting economic damage from what became the nation’s largest immigration enforcement operation.

“I don’t know if my business will survive, being honest,” Hernandez said in an interview Friday. “The amount of damage is so big that I am afraid.”

Many of Hernandez’s customers have continued to stay home or drastically reduced their spending since the crackdown began in December. Of the 12 Latino small businesses that rent space from him, 10 remain shuttered. Only one business, an Ecuadorian ice cream shop, has managed to reopen.

The economic impact has been severe. “Instead of spending $150, now they spend $30, $40,” Hernandez explained. Other customers stopped coming altogether—either out of fear of detention, regardless of their legal status, or because financial constraints from work disruptions have left them with little disposable income.

The situation saw a significant development Thursday when President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid mounting criticism over her leadership, including her handling of the immigration crackdown and the aftermath of the shooting deaths of two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal officers.

The scale of the federal presence has been a point of contention. While Noem testified to Congress that approximately 650 federal officers remained in Minnesota, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar reported that White House border czar Tom Homan informed her this figure was incorrect. According to Klobuchar, forces have been reduced to just over 100 ICE officers, plus additional agents working on fraud investigations.

The economic toll on the city has been substantial. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reported last month that small businesses have collectively lost tens of millions in revenue. He estimated the operation cost the city’s economy $203 million in January alone and pushed 76,000 people into food insecurity.

“We warn our community that the fight is not over,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, during a news conference Friday. “It is a good day to say good riddance to Kristi Noem. But it’s not a good day to walk away from the fight.”

Community activists believe their organized resistance played a crucial role in the administration’s decision to scale back operations. The crisis sparked the formation of neighborhood networks dedicated to pushing for social justice that many believe will continue long after the immediate situation resolves.

Minneapolis resident Patty O’Keefe, who was detained in January for following a federal officer’s vehicle, viewed Noem’s departure with measured optimism. “It’s a sign that we’re winning, that the Trump administration feels like they have to make a change to save face because they’re losing public support and losing the narrative,” she said.

The community response has been remarkable. Minneapolis psychologist Lucy Olson helped organize a covert grassroots network that grew to 2,000 volunteers assisting around 500 immigrant families with legal matters, shelter, food, and rent assistance.

“For those of us who had the honor of participating as volunteers, I think we will never be the same,” Olson said. “I think there’s been cross-cultural friendships, the opportunity to build out neighborhood networks that have changed the face of our city.”

Nevertheless, significant challenges remain. Civil rights activist and lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong is among 39 people indicted for their alleged roles in a January protest at a St. Paul church where a pastor, David Easterwood, serves as a top local ICE official. She believes Noem should have been fired immediately after the deaths of Good and Pretti.

The impact on education has been equally devastating. Brenda Lewis, superintendent of Fridley Public Schools in suburban Minneapolis, said Noem’s firing “doesn’t really matter” because her students’ safety remains compromised. The district, which serves many Somali and Ecuadorian families, has seen federal vehicles in neighborhoods near schools and at the homes of school board members.

More than 112 students have unenrolled from the district of around 2,700, while another 400 have switched to virtual learning. The district has also lost $130,000 in revenue due to lower participation in meal programs.

“It’s not a Democrat or a Republican issue,” Lewis emphasized. “It’s about children’s safety, and we need to really come together and ensure that this absolute removal of safety for school children by a federal agency can never ever happen again in the state or the country.”

Minnesota’s Republican leadership has remained largely silent on Noem’s departure, though GOP state Senator Jim Abeler, a moderate from suburban Anoka, noted that he had written to Noem in January expressing “grave concerns” about actions by some federal officers in Minnesota.

“With her departure, I hope that what happened in Minnesota won’t happen anywhere else,” Abeler said in a statement.