Minneapolis CM Jason Chavez Took ICE Fight to the Streets

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.

Props to the MN Politicians Who Actually Hit the Streets

There’s an old joke in the newspaper world that journalism is mostly about showing up somewhere and asking, “Hey, what’s going on here?” This could probably apply to politics too. 

Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez has been showing up. When ICE started raiding local businesses, he was in the crowd with observers, checking in with folks and sharing information via social media. Chavez, who saw two uncles deported during Operation Metro Surge, has also been working to connect those who call into his office with resources, whether that's a ride to work or mutual aid. Madison McVan details his on-the-ground efforts in this great piece from Minnesota Reformer. 

“We can’t just cuss at ICE and then wipe our hands and do nothing,” Chavez tells McVan, referencing Frey’s sassiest press conference yet.

Chavez isn't the only politician taking to the streets to check in with constituents. Folks like Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne, Rep. Aisha Gomez (DFL-Minneapolis), and Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) have also been actively observing ICE activity in our neighborhoods.

ICE’s Impact on Future Generations: Really Bad!

As immigrants shelter in place, many are skipping out on health care. That’s bad news regardless, but it’s really bad news if your “condition” has a due date.

Katrina Pross reports for Sahan Journal that obstetricians in the state have reported a significant drop in pregnant patients, as well as a dramatic increase in appointment cancellations. “The challenge isn’t just, how do we get someone to get their prenatal care?” a nurse/midwife tells her. “The challenge is, how do we actually care for someone in pregnancy when they’re too afraid to even leave their home or to sleep or eat.” High-stress situations can also lead to things like premature births, gestational diabetes, and low birth weight—the likelihood of all those things also increase when people can’t access safe, in-person medical care.  

In Minneapolis, about 150 volunteer doctors have teamed up to form a rapid-response underground network. Arthur Allen and Kate Wells report for NPR that these medical volunteers have made over 135 home visits. "I used to look somebody in the eyes and say, with good faith, 'You will be fine at the hospital,'" nurse practitioner Emily Carroll says. "But now, I can't make that guarantee."

Of course, out of touch (and also outgoing) Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, who has previously (incorrectly) claimed that ICE isn’t showing up at schools and hospitals, blames the drop in accessible care on protestors. "If anyone is impeding Americans from making appointments or picking up prescriptions, its [sic] violent agitators who are blocking roadways, ramming vehicles, and vandalizing property," she writes in a statement to CNN.

Even More ICE News...

• The Pause Evictions, Save Lives ordinance made it through the Minneapolis City Council today. If Mayor Jacob Frey signs off on it—and that's a big if—it will extend the eviction notice grace period from 30 days to 60 days through August 31. In theory, this would give renters more time to raise funds and seek assistance. 
• Greater Minnesota schools felt the fear as ICE presence surged.
• Yes, let the lawsuits begin! Minnesota DFL bill aims to withstand legal challenge over whether people can sue federal agents.
• Twin Cities suburbs and counties spent tens of thousands of dollars on things like police overtime and towing abandoned cars during Operation Metro Surge. Now they are asking state legislators for help recouping costs. (Get in line, folks.)
• Hell yes: Some DFL lawmakers want federal agents in Minnesota during ICE surge to pay state taxes.

How About Some Non-ICE News… from 1981?

Sorry for the bummer Flyover today. Let’s end on a fun note: this incredible 1981 segment on Minneapolis nightlife featuring former City Pages journalist/eventual PR pitchman Martin Keller. His tour of late-night downtown activities includes stops at 7th St Entry (which he assures folks is not a punk bar), a gay bar where they men have “stunning tattoos in unusual places,” and Hennepin Avenue—aka the "only sleaze strip” in town. What a time!