Star Tribune
Hennepin County and Minneapolis leaders back North STAR Act, which would make Minnesota a sanctuary state on immigration policy
Leaders from Hennepin County, Minneapolis and other local governments are backing efforts by DFL lawmakers to make Minnesota a sanctuary state for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization.
State lawmakers return to the Capitol in St. Paul on Feb. 12 and a sanctuary state bill, called the North Star Act, is one of many priorities for the DFL-led Legislature. Under the bill, state and local law enforcement and other government agencies would be barred from asking about a person’s immigration status or aiding in civil immigration enforcement.
It’s the latest local example in the growing national debate about immigration, what to do about the influx of migrants at the southern border, and how to best address the millions of people living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
Minnesota Democrats say they have a new sense of urgency to approve the measure while they have complete control of state government because former President Donald Trump is the likely GOP nominee. Trump has taken a hard-line stance on immigration, promising mass deportations.
“We should take him at his word, and act now to protect our neighbors from persecution by a right-wing federal government,” said Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, the bill’s primary sponsor in the Senate.
Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said the legislation is more extensive than sanctuary city policies enacted in Minneapolis and St. Paul and unlikely to be backed by Republicans. “To make it a statewide requirement is far beyond what most Minnesotans would support,” Robbins said.
The Hennepin County Board voted unanimously Jan. 23 to make a last-minute update to its legislative platform.
It says the board supports “efforts to ensure that non-citizen residents are assured due process in the criminal legal system, be free from harassment, and supported in their efforts to remain in Minnesota and contribute to community vibrancy.”
Minneapolis city leaders included a similar statement in their platform, and Minneapolis Public Schools and Richfield city officials have also signaled support.
Why it’s in the county’s platform
Commissioner Debbie Goettel said the addition was another way to emphasize the board’s commitment to supporting immigrants.
“I think we are just expressing our values,” Goettel said. “We are sending a message that we support immigrants. We want fair and humane treatment.”
Hennepin County and Minneapolis are among a handful of Minnesota governments that typically do not get involved with federal enforcement of civil immigration laws. The North Star Act would make that the policy of agencies across the state.
Members of the Decriminalizing Communities Coalition and ICE Out told Hennepin County commissioners during a Jan. 9 public input session that local agencies’ cooperation with federal immigration agents discouraged some crime victims from calling police because they feared deportation.
“This is a threat to the safety of all Hennepin County residents,” Amy Alvarez Cruz of Jewish Community Action told the board.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Sheriff Dawanna Witt said they supported the goal of the legislation. Both noted since their election in 2022 that they’ve made policy changes to limit federal immigration officials’ presence in county facilities.
“We want to do everything we can to support people who are victimized so they will cooperate with law enforcement, and with us, so we can prosecute crime,” Moriarty said.
In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said Witt has backed removing the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in the Hennepin County jail and limiting the use of immigration detainers there, and was committed to supporting legal protection for immigrants.
The North Star Act might be a tougher sell outside of the Twin Cities. Several greater Minnesota communities have seen influxes of immigrants in the last two decades and, sometimes, there has been friction.
Local officials like St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said they’re focused on providing services to constituents, and immigration is outside the city’s purview. But Kleis said he thinks it is unconstitutional to ignore immigration laws.
“We focus on our core services and leave federal issues to the federal folks,” Kleis said.
Nobles County Administrator Bruce Heitkamp said he had never heard of the North Star Act, so he didn’t have a position on it. He noted that the dramatic increase in diversity in his southwestern Minnesota community was a positive thing.
“We embrace it. There have been a lot of wonderful things that have come out of it, challenges too,” Heitkamp said.
What would the North Star Act do?
If the bill becomes law, law enforcement and other government agencies — including school districts and public health agencies — would not be able to ask about a person’s immigration status or aid in civil immigration enforcement. Ten states have similar laws on the books and nine others have prohibitions on sanctuary policies.
“Any state and local government entity can be pressured by the Trump administration to share data and collaborate,” said Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton, primary sponsor of the bill in the House. “It is going to prevent us from wasting resources on enforcing a broken federal immigration system.”
Feist and Fateh added that the legislation would have no impact on any criminal proceeding or any case where federal law requires local governments to work with immigration officials.
“This bill recognizes and upholds existing precedent, which says that states should not have a direct role in enforcing immigration policy,” Fateh said.
The bill will be controversial with Minnesota Republicans, who have favored a more hardline stance on immigration enforcement. GOP members criticized DFLers last year when they approved bills allowing immigrants without proper documentation to obtain driver’s licenses and sign up for MinnesotaCare, the state insurance for the working poor.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said it was wrong to “make Minnesota a more enticing place to go to avoid the consequences of violating immigration law,” and “unfair to force Minnesota taxpayers to pay for the high costs associated with illegal immigration due to overburdening our social services.”
Star Tribune staff writer Jenny Berg contributed to this story.
Twin Cities, get ready to potentially spot an ex on the Minneapolis season of Love Is Blind, which was officially announced Wednesday night.
The anticipated reunion episode that closed out season 7, set in Washington, D.C., included the surprise announcement. The eighth season will launch on Valentine’s Day.
“This Valentine’s Day 2025 will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of Love Is Blind, and it is going to be the launch of season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis,” host Vanessa Lachey said in a moment also posted to social media.
Three of the incoming Minneapolis singles were introduced in the reunion episode. When asked about the challenges of the dating scene in Minneapolis, one contestant shared a sentiment many Minnesotans will be familiar with.
“It’s such a small community, it’s not like a major city but it’s also not a small town. So you kind of see the same people over and over, and it’s a small bar scene,” he said.
Star Tribune
Long Prairie, MN school board dismisses its superintendent, the latest controversy in this small town
LONG PRAIRIE, MINN. — The school district superintendent dressed up as the school mascot, Thor, on football nights. He read the graduation address in both English and Spanish. He even set up office hours in the cafeteria, granting easier approachability to students.
But now, two months into the school year, Daniel Ludvigson is gone. Or, rather, “on special assignment,” according to the terminology of the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle School Board, which voted 4-3 earlier this month to remove him as superintendent. The move came weeks after voting to not renew his contract, which expires at the end of the school year in June.
Four board members — two of whom voted to oust Ludvigson, including Board Chair Kelly Lemke — are up for re-election next week.
The dismissal is the latest blow in this central Minnesota community on the edge of the prairie. Over the last nine months, the town of 3,400 residents and seat of Todd County has lost its mayor, a city manager, two school board members, and now its superintendent.
Students walked out earlier this month in support of Ludvigson. Signs in support of Ludvigson can be seen across town on the lawns of apparent Democrats and Republicans alike. And last week, hundreds packed the American Legion off Hwy. 71 to eat beef sandwiches and sign support letters for Ludvigson, who only swung by to pick up his child for hockey practice.
In a time of great divide in America, this fight has nothing to do with politics.
“You’ve got Harris buttons and Trump hats side-by-side, arm-in-arm,” said Amanda Hinson, a former local newspaper reporter who is concerned the board is not being upfront about why they placed Ludvigson on special assignment. “We want transparency in our government.”
Lawn signs around Long Prairie, Minn., now include people weighing in on the dismissal of Superintendent Daniel Ludvigson by the school board. (Christopher Vondracek)
School board members say Ludvigson has repeatedly shown he is not ready for the prime time of a school district bigger than the one in central North Dakota he arrived from two years ago. They have twice disciplined Ludvigson, but did not state the reason for placing him on “special assignment,” beyond insinuating that staff are fearful to raise official complaints.
Rain and potentially heavy snow are on tap Thursday around the Twin Cities, just before families set out for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Temperatures were expected to drop throughout the day, creating conditions for flurries. A winter weather advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. covering the Twin Cities metro area and parts of south-central Minnesota. Steady rain drenched the Twin Cities on Thursday, making for a soggy morning commute.
“As colder air begins to move in this morning, the rain will transition to heavy snow from west to east with snowfall rates of an inch per hour at times into early afternoon,” the National Weather Service in Chanhassen said in a weather advisory.
The Twin Cities and surrounding areas could get between 2 and 4 inches of snow, according to the weather service. The winter weather advisory is expected to affect Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington and Le Sueur counties.
It’s unclear how much of the snow will actually stick, with warm surface temperatures likely leading to melting on contact in many areas.
“Exact totals will depend on snowfall rate, surface temperatures, and melting — which increases uncertainty with the snow forecast,” the weather service said in an early Thursday briefing.
“Thundersnow possible!” the weather service emphasized.
The good news for Halloween revelers is that the snow and rain are expected to wrap up in time for trick-or-treating, though temperatures will remain in the 30s with a sharp windchill.
