Minnesota lawmakers are proposing a bill to limit federal immigration enforcement activity near schools, as concerns about student safety and civil rights increase. 

Rep. Sydney Jordan (DFL-Minneapolis) said her bill aims to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from operating on K-12 school property unless agents meet specific legal conditions.

“It’s actually a really simple bill,” Jordan said. “It limits access.”

Jordan said the bill was introduced following reports of ICE activity at Minnesota schools, such as Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, during Operation Metro Surge.

“We saw instances of ICE agents entering school property without permission,” Jordan said. “That’s not appropriate for a place of learning.”

Rep. Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul), who is authoring a separate bill prohibiting ICE agents from wearing masks, said recent ICE enforcement actions created fear among students, particularly on campuses with large international populations such as the University of Minnesota. However, university campuses are not addressed in Jordan’s bill. 

“Keeping that kind of institutional state violence off our campuses is a very easy thing to do,” Finke said. “We want to protect people who are here to learn.”

Finke said the proposed campus restrictions would apply broadly to many educational institutions.

“We should not be terrorizing children,” Finke said. “We should not be using children to carry out enforcement actions.”

Jordan said there are incidents in the Twin Cities involving agents near school grounds during dismissal times.

“We saw widespread absenteeism because kids and their parents were too afraid to go to school,” Jordan said. “Students are not getting an education, which they have a constitutional right to.”

Sen. Doron Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) said new proposals intend to ensure people can safely access essential services without fear of federal enforcement.

“I think the state action is necessary because we need to make sure people are safe,” Clark said. “People should be able to go to school, go to the hospital and go to court without worrying that ICE might try to detain them.”

Clark and other lawmakers are supporting other bills that address how federal immigration agents operate in Minnesota broadly.

One proposal would classify schools as essential spaces where people should feel safe from ICE activity, Clark said.

“We want to make sure schools and colleges are considered essential spaces,” Clark said. “You should be able to walk through the halls and not worry you’re going to be detained.”

Despite passing unanimously in the Minnesota Senate, the bill faces challenges in gaining Republican support, Jordan said. 

“They’re prioritizing ICE over students and education,” Jordan said. “Children deserve to have a school where they feel safe in order to learn.”

Finke encouraged residents to show their support for these bills.

“Everybody in Minnesota deserves to be treated respectfully and in accordance with the law,” Finke said. “If people want that to happen, they need to raise their voices.