Many immigrant workers are too afraid of ICE to commute to their jobs, and soon, they may not be able to pay rent.
Why it matters: Tenant advocates fear a wave of evictions may be building as renters fall behind — and they want state leaders to take emergency steps to head it off.
- The loudest voices, including the Minneapolis and St. Paul city councils, are begging Gov. Tim Walz to pause all evictions until the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge ends.
Reality check: Walz “does not currently have the legal authority to enact an eviction moratorium,” the governor’s office told Axios.
- He would have to declare a “peacetime emergency” — a legally fraught maneuver.
The big picture: Operation Metro Surge has hurt the local economy. Immigrant business corridors are ghost towns. Construction work has slowed. In-person school attendance has cratered.
- The Greater Twin Cities United Way’s hotline reported a 145% increase in rental assistance calls — and a 15-fold increase in calls from Spanish-speakers.
State of play: Year-to-date eviction filings statewide were down slightly through January, according to data from tenant advocacy organization HOME Line.
- But that may be because of a surge in crowdfunded mutual aid, landlords’ generosity, and legally required waiting periods for landlords before filing an eviction claim, HOME Line executive director Eric Hauge told Axios.
What they’re saying: “This is going to get worse before it gets better,” state Rep. Mike Howard (DFL-Richfield) told Axios. “Little Band-Aids abound right now, but all the evidence is for us needing a more sustained broader effort.”…