Education Minnesota demands ICE stay away from schools
For more information, contact:
SCOTT BEAUCHAMP
612-757-1624 (cell)
ST. PAUL, Minnesota. Jan. 8, 2026 – Education Minnesota President Monica Byron released the following statement demanding ICE stay away from Minnesota schools in the wake of yesterday’s ICE actions involving educators and students.
“Yesterday’s actions by ICE in Minnesota—including the shooting of a community member, the unjust detention of a Minnesota educator, and the use of pepper spray on students—are unconscionable in a civil society.
ICE’s continued operations make every Minnesotan less safe. Their presence near our schools puts students and educators at serious risk. Every moment they remain near schools endangers children, educators and families. We demand that ICE operations be kept away from schools so students, educators and staff can learn and work in safety and peace.
Beyond the physical danger, ICE’s actions directly undermine teaching and learning. Yesterday, an elementary school was placed on lockdown, and schools in Minnesota’s largest city were forced to close for two days—two days of learning our students will never get back. Seats are empty in Minnesota classrooms across the state right now as families keep students at home in an attempt to keep them safe from ICE. This disruption comes on top of the ongoing fear and emotional harm students experience when ICE operates in their communities.
As Minnesotans and Americans, we agree that schools must be places of safety, learning and belonging. This is not a partisan issue—it is a moral one. The Trump Administration must act now and order all ICE operations to stay away from schools and out of all school zones across Minnesota.”
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
