ICE Raids to Ballot Defense: How Minnesota Immigrants Fight Back

When federal immigration agents swept through Minnesota earlier this year as part of what the Trump administration called Operation Metro Surge, local residents did not wait for help. Neighbors organized block by block. They tracked ICE arrests, got children to school safely, and fed each other. Two people died. Hundreds were deported. Now, those same networks are turning their attention to a new threat: the November 2026 midterm elections.

From Deportation Defense to Democracy Defense

The group behind the shift is Monarca, a project run by social justice organization Unidos MN. During the immigration crackdown, Monarca trained roughly 2,500 people on how to legally observe and document ICE enforcement — a right protected by the First Amendment. Now, the group has launched democracy defense trainings at churches and community spaces across the Twin Cities. Hundreds of people have already signed up. Trainers teach neighbors how to help each other vote, how to monitor polling places, and how to respond if someone tries to block or overturn election results. Luis Argueta Jr., communications director of Unidos MN, says he is not aware of similar ground-level trainings anywhere else in the country — though groups in other states have been asking about the program.

Fear is still very real in Minnesota. Some immigration agents remain in the state. A plan to convert a private prison into a detention facility has added to anxiety. The Department of Justice has charged nearly 40 people over a protest at a church, and another 15 with broad conspiracy charges related to their responses to ICE activity. Nonprofit Protect Democracy says those charges are part of a strategy to intimidate people and keep them from organizing. "They know how much easier it is to tilt the electoral playing field if people stay home and stay quiet," said Jess Marsden, Protect Democracy's counsel and director of impact programs. Newly naturalized citizens, in particular, have told organizers they are afraid that voting could somehow put their non-citizen family members at risk — a fear that trainers are working to address directly.

The trainings are not just about voting. They ask participants to think through real scenarios. At one session, a trainer walked the group through a hypothetical: imagine the Department of Justice announces in August 2026 that voters must appear on newly issued federal voter rolls for their ballots to count — just before early voting begins. What do you do? The exercise is designed to help people move past denial and into action. "Do you sit around and wait and hope that nothing happens," asked Argueta, "or do you start building something?" Emilia González Avalos, executive director of Unidos MN, put it plainly: "We don't need perfect leaders. We just need a regular person that can take responsibility of something."

What to Do

• Know your rights at the polls. Immigration agents cannot demand your papers simply because you are voting. If you are a U.S. citizen, you have the right to vote without showing proof of immigration status.
• Document everything. If you see ICE agents near a polling place or any attempt to intimidate voters, record it safely and report it to your local election office and a trusted legal organization.
• Get involved before Election Day. Sign up to be an election judge or poll worker in your precinct. Community presence at polling places is legal and can deter intimidation.
• Connect with local organizations. Groups like Unidos MN offer free trainings on both immigration enforcement observation and election defense. If you are in another state, ask local immigrant advocacy groups whether similar programs exist near you.