The Advocate
Future of Us publishes
a monthly newsletters to keep you updated on our work
January 2026
FACING UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES
We know what this fight is really about,
and Minnesotans won't flinch from the truth
The Department of Homeland Security is conducting its largest immigration operation to date in Minnesota, now deploying an estimated 3,000 agents, including from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
But we know this is not about immigration enforcement. When armed and militarized government agents summarily execute civilians in our streets; kidnap and beat children; go door-to-door to hunt down immigrants; throw tear gas and flash bangs at peaceful protesters, witnesses and journalists, and offer money or legal aid to detained Minnesotans in exchange for names of protest organizers or to point out their Hispanic or Somali or Asian neighbors, we know that it has never been about the rule of law. We know that when convicted January 6 rioters and white supremacists are among the people carrying guns in the name of the Department of Homeland Security that it was never about the rule of law.
People should not have to be afraid to go to school, to work, to the grocery store, to a hospital, or to simply walk down the street because of the color of their skin. People are in hiding across our state, not because they have done anything wrong but because federal officials do not make a distinction between criminals and citizens, if you are a person of color. Asian Minnesotans and other people of color are carrying documentation to prove their citizenship because the U.S. government is trying to redefine being an American to being white. We have seen this before. And we know what that is called: racism.
Minnesotans are putting their lives on the line to embody the American values codified in the U.S. Constitution: the right to free speech, to peaceably assemble, to due process. Minnesotans are proving that to be an American is to protect our neighbors and to defend justice and decency.
We know that our fight is bigger than the boundaries of our state. We know the world is watching. We know that we are fighting for the rights of all Americans. As Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont said during a hearing held in Minnesota about the federal raids: You are the center of America's heartbreak "but you are also the center of America's courage. Minnesotans are doing it for all of us." Bostonians marched in 7-degree weather this past week, chanting: "We're not cold, we're not afraid. MN taught us to be brave."
We are proud of you, Minnesota. We are proud of the many Minnesotans who are showing great courage in the face of great fear. People like Renee Nicole Good, 37, a poet and mother, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse. Tens of thousands of Minnesotans have been trained as Constitutional Observers and others are working to keep our children safe at school, buy groceries for people in hiding, and organizing their friends and neighbors to speak out, stand together, and show up, even amid indiscriminate violence.
We stand united in action: 'ICE Out of Minnesota'
In community: Future of Us staff joined the 50,000 other Minnesotans who marched peacefully in -9 degrees on Friday, Jan. 23, to demand ICE agents end their campaign of terror and leave the state. Our office will also be closed this Friday, Jan. 30, in honor of a general strike and rally in downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
Minnesota Senate holds hearings
on Operation Metro Surge
The Minnesota Senate Subcommittee on Federal Impacts to Minnesotans and Economic Stability held a subcommittee hearing on Thursday, Jan. 29, about the Department of Homeland Security's ICE raids' impact on Minnesota and its economy.
“We are not broken. We are not tired,” said Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley. “We’re going to stand in the gap forever for our neighbors. But this must end, and then we must repair.”
Future of Us team members attended to show solidarity with the nearly two dozen members of the community — lawyers, local officials, residents and organizers — who shared their stories about how federal agents have terrorized the community.
ThaoMee Xiong, Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, testified how she has three degrees, two of them from Ivy League institutions, and yet continues to see Asian Americans' contributions and value to the United States questioned. "When will we be enough?" she said.
Chase Iron Eyes, an attorney with Sacred Defense Fund and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, testified that his tribe is still uncertain where tribal members, mistaken as immigrants, are being detained by immigration authorities. “These are houseless relatives,” he told the committee. “Their names are unknown, so at this time, we don’t know where our people are.”
Maye Quade noted that only Iron Eyes and other Indigenous are the only Americans who are not immigrants.
Dr. Bjorn Westgard, an emergency physician with Regions Hospital, said people are afraid to seek medical help. “Emergency room and clinic visits are down 20 to 25% across many of our health systems, and that’s a conservative estimate,” he said.
The hearing opened with testimony from John Boehler and Teresa Nelson, attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union in Minnesota, and Julia Decker, Policy Director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Boehler said they have received 500 reports of constitutional violations and 96 court orders in the state.
Senators Carla Nelson, a Republican from Rochester, and Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, said Democratic leaders should get both sides to calm the situation. Nelson said the responsibility of "leaders is to steady things, not to inflame them."
Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, called out that perspective. She said, "We keep hearing repeatedly this asking both sides to work together in good faith and come up with solutions. To ask for unity at a time when one side is actively the aggressor, actively committing violence against peaceful protesters, actively committing violence against black and brown people inside their homes, actively committing violence against children in schools, this has never been about violent criminals. This has ... never been a both-sides issue. This is about racism. This is about a racist government that is hunting black and brown people regardless of immigration status and regardless of criminal history. ... I very respectively ask that people stop playing the both-sides card because when you do that without pointing to where the violence is coming from, you are squarely on the side of the oppressor today."
About 50 state senators from 13 other states — Wisconsin, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Rhode Island, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon and Tennessee — also gathered at the Capitol to listen to on-the-ground accounts.
No action was taken at the hearing, but some lawmakers said they are considering legislation about immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
We're making space for you if you want to share your story
We want to hear from you: If you have been affected by the ICE operations and are willing to share your story, please contact us at info@futureofusmn.org or provide your information in the form linked below. We want to know your story so we can better meet the needs of our community. We also know that it is a scary time to step forward and we will honor your wishes if you want to share your story privately with us.
OUR MISSION FOR 2026
Facing a critical moment, we need to engage Asian Minnesotan voters
Field Manager Noah Chan
One of my main priorities this year is to connect with Asian Minnesota voters in creative ways that are authentic, connect to their day-to-day life, and move them to action — like what we witnessed in 2025, when Minnesotans voted in municipal elections at record levels.
Our democratic institutions are under attack and national threats are pounding down our doorstep. We are seeing mass deportations and legal challenges to birthright citizenship and the electoral process, most recently earlier this month when the Supreme Court ruled political candidates have the legal standing to challenge election laws before voting or counting starts.
Minnesota needs trusted and strong leaders who can honor and protect our Asian communities. That mission will guide my strategy to activate voters for November's mid-term elections through phone canvassing, door knocking, Get Out the Vote drives, and a gubernatorial candidate forum. (It's not too soon to put a reminder on your calendar to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3, because there's a lot at stake. On the ballot will be all 435 seats of the U.S. House; 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate; all the seats in the Minnesota Senate and House; all Minnesota's executive officers, such as the governor's seat; several judicial seats, and several seats for local offices.)
My other main priority is building new partnerships and strengthening current coalitions to amass people power and collectively engage more voters to take action and engage young people to be involved in civic transformation.
I'm excited to apply what I have learned as an organizer to make real change in my community!
We need to energize youth in the civic process, hold our leaders accountable
Advocacy & Policy Manager Tenzin Choesang
My strategy for our Advocacy & Policy arm for 2026 involves a two-pronged approach: accountability and engagement.
What does accountability look like? Accountability is holding our elected officials answerable, sharing with them the stories of on-the-ground experiences of Asian Minnesotan youth and urging them to take stronger stances to protect our vulnerable communities. I will be keeping a close eye on legislative priorities and will be attending hearings, such as Thursday's Minnesota Senate Rules and Administration Select Subcommittee on Federal Impacts to Minnesotans and Economic Stability, shown above. We heard testimony about how the violence from federal immigration agents is harming Minnesotans. State senators from 13 other states — Wisconsin, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Rhode Island, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon and Tennessee — also gathered at the Capitol to listen to on-the-ground accounts.
In terms of engagement, we will provide opportunities for Asian Minnesotan youth to participate in the civic process, to empower their voices and engage directly with their elected officials. One such opportunity is our "Claim Your Power: API Youth at the Capitol" event this May 11. I am busy getting the details organized for this event where Asian youth will be able to engage with their elected officials on immigration, voting and citizenship issues. Stay tuned for updates!
Investing in people, organizing for power
Organizing Manager Tori Westenberg
In 2026, my strategic priorities are focused on building up and strengthening existing partnerships
at Future of Us. By fostering and maintaining relationships with other non-profits, coalitions, organizers, and our community members, we can grow our understanding of what AAPIs in Minnesota are needing in this moment, and reach a wider audience with our civic-engagement, advocacy, and youth-leadership programming. It's become increasingly clear to our team how essential it is to find ways to listen, connect, collaborate, and find unity with one another.
Organizing people power means investing in the people that make this work possible and empowering them to take action, tell their stories, and advocate for change. That's where my focus lies, both for now and the foreseeable future.
SPECIAL ELECTIONS
DFL wins both special elections
in Minnesota House
Two DFL candidates won separate special elections on Tuesday, Jan. 27, which restores a tie in the Minnesota House ahead of the upcoming legislative session beginning in mid-February.
In District 47A, Shelley Buck, a Prairie Island Indian Community tribal council leader and president of Owámniyomni Okhódayap, ran uncontested in the Democratic-leading district, which includes part of Maplewood and Woodbury. She replaces Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who won a state Senate seat in November.
In District 64A, Meg Luger-Nikolai, a labor attorney, filled the seat vacated by St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. She beat Republican business owner Dan Walsh by a margin of 90.9%, 95.28% vs 4.36%, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State. That marks a more than 23% swing toward the DFL compared to when Her beat Walsh in 2024 with 83.2% of the vote vs. Walsh's 16.6%.
What it means in the House: The House returns to a 67-67 tie, which means the House will operate under the current power-sharing agreement. Rep. Lisa Demuth, a Republican, remains House Speaker and both parties will co-chair most committees.
In the Minnesota Senate: Democrats hold a one-seat majority, 34-33.