Not only did most residents of Minnesota’s Twin Cities not feel safer during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge this winter, but the presence of ICE had significant negative impacts, a study by UC San Diego revealed Thursday. UC San Diego’s U.S. Immigration Policy Center conducted t wo surveys of hundreds of Minneapolis and St. Paul residents following Operation Metro Surge which saw between 3,000-4,000 federal immigration enforcement agents deployed across the state. Large shares of respondents reported racial profiling and physical abuse during encounters with federal immigration enforcement agents. ICE in Minnesota Minnesota Feb 28 Federal judge extends order protecting refugees in Minnesota from being arrested and deported Minnesota Feb 27 Attorney general charges 30 more people who protested at Minnesota church Trump Administration Feb 22 Bill of Rights put to the test over Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota Minnesota Feb 12 Journalist Don Lemon set to be arraigned in Minnesota church protest case Immigration Feb 12 Trump administration says it is ending its immigration surge in Minnesota Department of Homeland Security Feb 8 Hard hats and dummy plates: Reports of ICE ruses add to fears in Minnesota Immigration Feb 6 In Minnesota, sending a child to school is an act of faith for immigrant families The surveys also found educational and health impacts, including lost wages, school absences and delayed medical care, the authors write. “These surveys show just how deeply Operation Metro Surge affected Minneapolis and St. Paul,” said Tom Wong, director of the Immigration Policy Center. “The data point to troubling patterns that raise serious concerns, such as the use of force, as well as broader harms to families, schools, workplaces and access to medical care.” Data were collected in two separate surveys from Feb. 17 to March 6. According to the findings: More than 28% of adults in Minneapolis and 19.2% in St. Paul reported at least one interaction with ICE or Border Patrol Among respondents who reported interactions with federal immigration enforcement, 22.9% in Minneapolis and 13.9% in St. Paul said they were physically assaulted. Another 25.7% in Minneapolis and 17.7% in St. Paul said pepper spray, tear gas or another chemical agent was used against them Majorities in both cities said they now have less trust in law enforcement — 57.1% in Minneapolis and 58.3% in St. Paul reported diminished trust. Nearly half also said they are now less likely to seek help from law enforcement, 46.1% in Minneapolis and 45.1% in St. Paul Operation Metro Surge is estimated to have resulted in $189.2 million in lost wages in Minneapolis and $54.6 million in St. Paul. Among those in the workforce, 35.7% in Minneapolis and 20.5% in St. Paul said they missed work because of the operation Among parents or guardians with children in public K-12 schools, 53.3% in Minneapolis and 45.1% in St. Paul said they kept a child home because of concerns related to enforcement Among those who needed urgent or hospital care, 39.9% in Minneapolis and 30.6% in St. Paul said they stayed home instead of seeking treatment because of concerns related to immigration enforcement “These findings matter not only for understanding what happened in Minnesota, but also for helping other cities and states prepare for what could happen if they are targeted by similar large-scale enforcement actions,” Wong said. According to the surveyors, the Minneapolis results included 728 respondents and have a margin of error of 3.6%, while the St. Paul survey included 662 respondents and have a margin of error of 3.8%. “Moreover, despite being described as targeted immigration enforcement actions aimed at the ‘worst of the worst,’ ” the data suggest that federal immigration enforcement agents frequently engaged in broad, non- targeted stops of residents, Wong wrote in the report. The data also found federal immigration enforcement agents conducted operations at or near previously protected “sensitive locations,” such as schools, churches and courthouses. ...read more read less