Several months after the declared end of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts are still moving forward in Fort Snelling Immigration Court.

Appleton City Manager John Olinger said the city wasn’t aware of imminent plans for the facility. Its use is allowed in zoning. The former prison had been mentioned on a leaked doc about ICE plans last summer. (5) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

The Department of Homeland Security has posted a proposed contract for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use a private prison facility in western Minnesota to hold up to 1,600 immigrant detainees.

New from us at MPR:

More than 3,700 immigrants were detained during “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota this winter. In St. Paul, passport applications and children’s sandals sit beside families preparing for possible separation. 📸 Kerem Yücel ✍️Jon Collins www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

The Trump administration blitz that flooded Minnesota with immigration agents also dramatically slowed other federal investigations and prosecutions into an array of serious crimes, a Reuters review of federal court records found.

The Trump Administration seeks to deport At “Ricky” Chandee to Laos over a conviction from the early 1990s. He’s one of many Hmong and Lao refugees facing deportation due to previous criminal convictions and policy shifts in the U.S. and Lao governments.

Taxpayer-funded group homes help thousands of Minnesotans with physical or mental disabilities live as independently as possible. But the industry’s rapid growth in the Twin Cities northwest suburbs has led to problems that leave vulnerable people in danger. More from @elliemroth.bsky.social ⬇️

MPR News and its investigative unit, APM Reports, found that at least 50 Minnesota group home clients have died since late 2022 under circumstances serious enough to trigger a state maltreatment investigation.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Monday they will pursue information from the Department of Homeland Security that they need for their investigation into the arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, an American citizen.

The @sahanjournal.bsky.social wrote about the existence of this video last month. The NYTimes published/analyzed it today. It's yet more evidence undermining the feds' narrative about what happened when Julio Sosa-Celis was shot and wounded by an ICE agent Jan. 14 (1) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

"The video contradicts the agent’s claim that three assailants had beaten him with a shovel and broom for roughly three minutes before he opened fire. Instead, the confrontation depicted in the video lasts about 12 seconds and shows two men struggling with the agent." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/u...

Almost half of the people arrested by federal agents this winter in Minnesota have already been deported, according to new data released to the @deportationdata.org through a FOIA lawsuit. It's the clearest picture yet of federal activities in the state. (1) www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Investigators didn’t find video evidence that backed up the bounty hunters’ claims that observers at the scenes threatened to “scalp” them or shoot them in the head. Both men are scheduled to make their first appearances in court on April 21.

Thanks to a FOIA lawsuit from @deportationdata.org, Minnesota is getting its first credible numbers on arrests during the federal government's surge here this winter. About 3,800 Minnesota residents were arrested. Most from Latin America (only 106 from Somalia). (1)

Federal agents arrested more than 3,700 Minnesota residents during the federal government’s surge into the state this winter, according to new data. It shows fewer than one-quarter of those arrested had a criminal conviction on their record.

Liam Conejo Ramos’ father Adrian Conejo Arias told MPR News that violent crime in his home country of Ecuador is why they left and applied for asylum in the United States.

Some 300 group homes are licensed to operate in Brooklyn Park, more than any other city in the state. But the industry’s rapid growth in recent years has led to problems that are leaving vulnerable people in danger and local governments struggling with the consequences.

Another federal judge is threatening to hold government officials in contempt of court for failing to return critical items including work permits and driver's licenses to former immigration detainees.

ICE activity continues to interrupt daily life for students, staff and families, despite the announced end of the two-month surge of federal immigration agents. Students attend school remotely, staff monitor arrival and dismissal, and leaders wonder when they can resume normal school operations.

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.

New filing from Henn. County in DOJ sanctuary city lawsuit. "The federal government’s position is akin to storming out of a café because the owner refused to share the wifi password, punching a bystander on the sidewalk, and blaming the café owner for the consequences. It is beyond the pale."

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

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.

Check out the story from late January written by @mprnews.org reporter @jcollins.bsky.social www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

Listen to Minnesotans describe how their mental health and daily activities are being affected by ICE operations across the state. I took phone calls during my live talk show on @MPRNews. Guests: therapist Dr. Corey Yeager & senior economics contributor Chris Farrell. www.mprnews.org/episode/2026...

Nearly 1/3 of us say we sleep poorly or not enough 😴. And our 24/7 culture makes it tough to GET a good night’s sleep. My public radio series Call to Mind is working on a show about sleep! Do you have problems sleeping? How does it affect your mental health? 📩: [email protected]

I love the Thunder Bay package because it captures what @mprnews.org delivers daily: deep, fact-based reporting, sharp analysis and thoughtful conversation focused on understanding. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

In April, my @mprnews.org colleagues Chris Farrell and @angeladavismpr.bsky.social saw this coming. They roadtripped to Thunder Bay to talk with Canadians as well as the North Shore Minnesotans who rely on Canadian business. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0... www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

Officials at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin say they’re planning to open foot access to the famed ice caves near Meyers Beach starting Monday — if ice conditions on the lake remain stable www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

"Federal authorities have opened a criminal probe into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month, as all charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men." apnews.com/article/immi...

In January we reported on how this was happening to a "conveyer belt" of illegally detained children in MN: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

The @mprnews.org liveblog on ICE in the Twin Cities is up and running for Friday. It's a quick way to catch up on what's happening. Check it out. www.mprnews.org/live-updates

Terrific story this morning from my @mprnews.org colleague @eshockmanwrites.bsky.social. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

My @mprnews.org colleague Regina Medina wrote this last week: www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

In their motion to dismiss the charges of assaulting a federal officer, prosecutors write that newly discovered evidence is "materially inconsistent with the allegations."

The person photographed here who is in their bathrobe filming armed, masked federal agents in St. Paul is MPR News journalist @samstroozas.bsky.social @mprnews.org . She is an incredible journalist and person. We do not deserve her.