A two‑day Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Bemidji last week has renewed attention on how federal immigration enforcement is affecting Greater Minnesota’s labor‑dependent industries. Between June 11 and 12, ICE agents carried out coordinated actions across the city — including through traffic stops and at job sites — resulting in multiple arrests.
In the past 30 days alone, ICE has conducted operations in Worthington (nine arrests tied to agriculture and meat‑processing workers), Austin (six arrests near food‑processing facilities) and St. Cloud (four arrests affecting construction and service‑sector workers). These industries — construction, roofing, agriculture, food processing and service jobs — remain among the most reliant on immigrant labor.
While there is heightened sensitivity to ICE arrests because of the deaths of two U.S. citizents under “Operation Surge” in Minneapolis, the Bemidji action aligns with the overall level of ICE enforcement seen in Minnesota in recent years, including throughout the Biden administration. Federal data and publicly reported activity show that annual arrest totals have remained relatively steady since 2021, with operations generally focused on specific individuals rather than broad workplace raids. What has shifted is the geographic distribution: compared with earlier Biden‑era years, more outstate communities are now experiencing these targeted actions.
Nonetheless, employers say the uncertainty adds strain at a time when Greater Minnesota continues to face persistent workforce shortages. At one Bemidji roofing company, most of the crew was taken into custody late last week, leaving only a small number of workers on site. The business owner described the operation as highly disruptive and said he has struggled to determine where detained employees are being held. He also noted that even workers with legal status were unsettled by the experience.
(Source here.)
