This is What Sacred Ground Looks Like (February 12, 2026)
The bitter cold month of January 2026 saw Minneapolis residents rally to resist the army of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) that infested the North Star state in December 2025. At its peak, the number of agents surged to about 3,000 in Minnesota. That figure represents about 13.6% of the 22,000 ICE agents in the U.S. It is a curious number, given the reality that Minnesota’s population is about 5.8 million, a mere 1.7% of the total U.S. population. I suppose that makes us Minnesotans kind’a special, you betch’a.
The fact that President Trump and his minions targeted Minnesota might have something to do with vengeance. After all, Governor Tim Walz was Kamal Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election. In addition, about 9% of the state’s population is foreign born, and to a racist, the Hmong, Latin Americans, and Somalians don’t belong with the white descendants of British, Irish, German, Polish, Italian, French, Slovenian, Russian, Swiss, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian immigrants in the land ‘o lakes. (How Many Immigrants, 2024). Trump has called the Somali residents of Minnesota “garbage,” and dismissed the state as a “hellhole” (Karnowski, 2025).
We Minnesotans might have a few frostbitten brain cells here and there, and we certainly have folks who don’t play nice in the snow. Yup. There are people here who commit fraud, have criminal records, and lie about their business, but somewhere in our imperfect humanity, we always seem to seek and find sacred ground.
As of January 22, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security reported that 1,360 people in Minnesota had been detained by ICE. There were 301people detained in county jails or state prisons. The rest fall into the category of “discrepancy,” which means Minnesota officials were not sure about where these individuals were. The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) said that many who were detained by ICE were never in DOC custody, and that some detainees have no Minnesota records. The DOC also chided the Department of Homeland Security for disseminating false information about immigrants in Minnesota and their criminality (Fact Sheet, 2026). Telling the truth is the bedrock of sacred ground, and there is so much more.
Minneapolis is part of the 21 million acres of Dakota land ceded to the U.S. in the Treaty of Traverse de Sioux, 1851. Many of the protesters who attended events in January acknowledged that they stood on sacred Dakota ground, and many carried signs that honored Indigenous dignity. In Minneapolis, people paid homage to the spiritual essence that makes all people one family in thousands of ways that did not make the news.
On the Northside, people claimed their sacred ground by warning neighbors that ICE was in the neighborhood. They claimed their sacred ground by donating money to buy food and necessities for families who were self-sequestered for fear that leaving home to go to work, or to school, or to a medical appointment, or to go shopping would result in arrest and deportation. They claimed their sacred ground by preaching sermons in religious gatherings about God’s directive to care for the stranger and to defend the poor and vulnerable. They claimed their sacred ground by waiting for people released from ICE custody outside the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, and by sheltering them in warm cars, where they got food, coats, burner phones to call their families, and sometimes a ride home (Moini and Finn, 2026). They claimed their sacred ground by having tough conversations with friends and family about the legality and morality of what ICE was doing. They claimed their sacred ground by networking with strangers to create grassroots organizations that mobilized demonstrations and interventions at a moment’s notice. Teachers taught children to quickly go to special places inside school buildings when the signal was given that ICE was nearby. Administrators taught teachers how to be polite, peaceful, but uncooperative with agents who demanded access to classrooms, playgrounds, and parking lots so they could remove children. Pastors declared churches sanctuaries.
Friends to told me about how they or others stood their sacred ground. Some paid for the groceries of those who stood behind them I the check-out line because it was clear that they were poor and frightened. Some anonymously squeezed envelopes of money earmarked for charity through church doors. Some paid for lawyers who went out of state to help members of the community secure their release. Some coordinated fund-risers to help others pay the rent and utility bills. Some wrote letters appealing to local elected officials to demand transparency in ICE activity and to work with their peers to resolve conflicts over immigration in a more human and just way. Some prayed and helped others remember that if the love of God means anything in this world, it has got to be tangibly demonstrated by the faithful.
In 2025, Minnesota ranked 4th in the nation on a list of charitable giving by state. The criteria included the number of volunteer hours per resident, the percent of people who volunteer, and the amount of money people give to charity (King, 2025). In addition, Minnesota is also in 4th place on a list ranking the states offering the best quality of life. Criteria include health care, education, natural environment, infrastructure, economy, crime, and fiscal stability (Best State Rankings, 2026). Communities achieve this kind of success because refuse to believe that people are garbage and because they understand that the real hellhole is the abyss where human dignity means nothing.
References
Best State Rankings. U.S. News and World Report, 2026. Rankings: Overall Best States | U.S. News Best States.
Fact Sheet: ICE Detainers in Minnesota. Minnesota Department of Corrections. New conference, January 22, 2026. FACT SHEET: ICE Detainers in Minnesota.
How Many Immigrants are in Minnesota? USA Facts, 2024. How many immigrants are in Minnesota? | USAFacts.
Karnowski, Steve. Gov. Walz denounces Trump for calling Minnesota’s Somali community ‘garbage.’ AP US News, December 4, 2025. Trump’s ‘hellhole’ comment sparks outrage from Minnesota governor Tim Walz | AP News.
King, Jordan. Map Shows ‘Most Charitable States’ in US. Newsweek, November 11, 2025. Map shows ‘most charitable states’ in US – Newsweek.
Moini, Nina and Ellen Finn. Inside the group that helps ICE detainees released from Whipple find warmth, phones and rides. NPR News, January 26, 2026. Inside the group that helps ICE detainees released from Whipple find warmth, phones and rides | MPR News.
