Greater Mankato ICE Watch

10/14/2026

✊Blue Earth
✊Fairmont
✊New Ulm

📆 October 17th
🔗 nokings.org

10/13/2026

Get your signs ready!!🪧 This Saturday!! BLUE EARTH, FAIRMONT, and NEW ULM are hosting No Kings rallies ❌👑 open to the public to support the early voting initiative. Please consider showing your support ✊✊✊ more event info at nokings.org

10/13/2026

🗳️ Election Talk! 🗳️

The U.S. midterm elections are on Tuesday, November 3, 2026! People will vote for all 435 seats in the U.S. House and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate. That includes our own district, MN CD-1!

Many people are worried about keeping our elections safe and fair. Some worry that the federal government may try to change how elections are run. There are also concerns that new rules about proving citizenship could stop millions of people from voting.

Many people are also worried that ICE, Border Patrol, or other federal agents might scare people at voting places. Last month, the head of the Department of Homeland Security said ICE might be at polling places if there are certain safety concerns.

🧿 Protect Your Vote! 🧿

📅 The voter registration deadline is TODAY, October 13!

📅 The election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

We are encouraging voters to stay safe and hit the polls early this year. Early voting in MN begins this Friday, Oct 16th.

✅ Not registered yet? Sign up online today!

✅ Already registered? You can vote early in person starting Oct 16.

✅ Prefer to vote from home? Voting by mail is also available in MN, and you do not need a “valid reason” to request an absentee ballot.

You can learn more about early voting here: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/vote-early-in-person/

You can also register and vote on Election Day in Minnesota. But why wait? Make a plan to vote today!

What questions do you have about the midterm elections? Comment or message us!

10/12/2026

🔔 Community Updates 🔔

ICYMI: On Saturday, September 26th, the Department of Homeland Security announced a “safety surge” in sanctuary cities. DHS claims they are targeting “criminal illegal aliens,” but we know better: no one is safe from “unlawful killings, excessive force, racial profiling, and unlawful detentions.”

Minnesota is classified by the Department of Justice as a "sanctuary jurisdiction,” and we will almost certainly see another surge of terror statewide ahead of/through the midterm election.

If you haven’t for a while, this is a great time to check in with your immigrant neighbors and constitutional observer networks.

👀 VISION: Greater Mankato ICE Watch will remain a trusted source of information regarding immigration “enforcement” for the Greater Mankato area

🗒️ How Tips Work
1. You spot an individual or vehicle you believe is ICE.

2. You message Greater Mankato ICE Watch’s page with the following P-SALUTE details:
• Pictures: of agents and vehicles
• Size/Strength: of fleet or group
• Actions/Activities: what are they doing
• Location: exact address and/or cross streets and direction of movement
• Uniform: what are agents wearing? how are cars marked?
• Time & Date of Observation: time is really important here
• Equipment and weapons: this includes the vehicles.

3. A page admin relays the tip to the appropriate response network and posts credible tips for the public page, updating as more information becomes available.

4. If ICE’s presence is confirmed, teams of rapid responders deploy to the scene to serve as constitutional observers (COs) and other rapid response networks are notified.

5. A page admin keeps the public updated via Facebook until the scene is cleared. If ICE detains someone, COs will attempt to connect the individual and/or their family with legal support through the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota or National Lawyers’ Guild.

A big THANK YOU to all of our follows for making this system possible! 💌

10/10/2026

ICE's use of full-body restraints on Minnesota detainees went public yesterday. Unfortunately, ICE's use of the WRAP system has been documented as early as last summer.

Medical groups and human rights advocates, including Minnesota-founded Center for Victims of Torture, spoke up against the use of these restraints last year:

"Key reported practices of concern:
– Use of The WRAP for hours (not minutes) during transfers and flights.
– Seating at steep angles (30–40°) that can restrict breathing instead of 90° upright seating.
– Stacking restraints: combining The WRAP with standard five-point shackles.
– Transport through multiple legs (tarmac, boarding, in-flight) without medical re-evaluation....

Medical experts outline the major health risks associated with prolonged full-body restraint:
– Restricted breathing and limited diaphragm expansion.
– Reduced blood flow and circulation problems.
– Numbness or nerve damage from sustained compression.
– Panic, trauma, and stress-related physiological responses..."

To read more about the legal and medical implications of this device, visit

As of October 2025, ICE’s use of full-body restraints, especially The WRAP, is under intense scrutiny. Rights groups, medical experts, and former detainees report the device is being used for hours during transfers and on deportation flights, often at steep 30–40° seating angles and combined wi...

10/10/2026

New cars dropped off at Whipple yesterday, with some groups predicting another ICE surge in MN. We have eyes out across our southern MN region and will be reporting sightings on this page immediately. Make sure to review your rights (pinned on our feed) and send any ICE sightings to us here via messenger. Stay safe, everyone 💙
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Esta mañana llegaron vehículos nuevos a Whipple, y algunos grupos prevén otra ola de operativos de ICE en Minnesota. Tenemos personas atentas en toda nuestra región y publicaremos cualquier avistamiento en esta página de inmediato. Asegúrate de repasar tus derechos (fijados en nuestra página) y envíanos cualquier avistamiento de ICE por mensaje privado aquí en Messenger. ¡Cuídense mucho! 💙

08/19/2026

🔊 Have you heard about the "Minnesota 15" and "Operation Puppet Master?" 🛡️

In June, federal prosecutors charged 15 Minnesotans with "conspiracy to impede or injure federal immigration officers," among other charges such as "interstate stalking" and "assault on a federal officer" for their role in resisting Operation Metro Surge via direct action.

For most Minnesotans, the charges came out of nowhere; for Minnesotans on the front lines, the charges confirmed something they already knew: Uncle Sam is watching.

The full scope of federal surveillance became clear this month with the release of discovery documents (made public via Defendant Sant's Motion for Discovery Under Rule 16 and Brady/Giglio). We learned that, starting in January, DHS placed (and is certainly still placing) undercover agents in rapid response chats and community meetings & events. DHS also collected resisters' personal information, building dossiers on possibly hundreds of Minnesotans. The documents also reference Clearview AI, "Project Whipple Shield," and "Operation Keyhole"

This isn't really about the Minnesota 15. These "Operations" and "Projects" raise serious questions about the federal government's surveillance of Minnesotans who organize, protest, and resist the T. administration. When community meetings and rapid-response networks become targets of federal investigation, EVERYONE who participates in civic life has reason to pay attention.

The message from the federal government is clear: they are watching us.
Our response should be equally clear: we will not be intimidated.

1. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28266882-indictment-minnesota-immigration-15-defendants-unsealed-61626/
2. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/federal-prosecutors-charge-15-people-with-conspiracy-to-impede-agents-during-minnesota-immigration-crackdown
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/politics/dhs-inquiry-immigration-protests-minnesota.html
4. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234415/gov.uscourts.mnd.234415.212.0.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawTxNRxwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMVhYZHpPT21iQkJCSkFhdzhzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEevDzgz3Dphr2HlaKPTtYh6XZH9qANPWqCvQ7cuwtA9kvSNALr_5zH10ZXzcA_aem_rZqR8PEYF54bGCe00Alb_Q
Image: artist unknown (let us know if you know who to credit!)

08/17/2026

DHS is opening an "immigrant detention center" this month in Appleton, MN. A former prison, operated by CoreCivic, will hold about 1,600 people detained by ICE.

As recently as July, investigations have revealed horrific conditions for people detained by ICE:
• use of chemical agents and gross physical force against individuals requesting food and water
• medical neglect, including cases in which one man nearly lost his leg to flesh-eating bacteria, and another man's prostate cancer went untreated for over 6 months
• refused access to legal counsel
• rampant sexual abuse against adults and children
• the highest detainee death rate in over a decade

CoreCivic's labor practices further warrant a side-eye: since 2000, they have paid over $23 million for 29 employment- and safety-related offences. On Indeed, CoreCivic only scores a 2.8 out of 5, with current and former employees talking about hostile work environments, poor work-life balance, and weak benefits packages. Lawsuits against the company include claims of unpaid wages.

This detention center isn’t just a problem for the people held inside its walls: it makes a bad neighbor for ALL Minnesotans. DHS and CoreCivic are bringing a troubling record of abuse, neglect, labor violations, and poor working conditions to our backyard.

Mad as hell, and not going to take this anymore?
Join other good neighbors on Thursday from 2-6:30pm at the Flags of Honor site in Appleton AND stay tuned for more information about opportunities to support and stand in solidarity with immigrants in Minnesota.

08/16/2026

👀 In case you missed it. . .
Last week, the Mankato City Council made it official: The City of Mankato and its employees will NOT enforce federal immigration laws “except as otherwise required by law."

Let's break it down ⛏️⛏️⛏️
P1: Mankato residents appreciated the temporary measure Mankato City Council (MCC) took in February, banning federal law enforcement from covering their face and requiring visible identification.

P2: The City of Mankato (CoM) does not enforce federal immigration law, and the Mankato Public Safety (MPS) will not enforce federal immigration law UNLESS "otherwise required by law."

P3: MPS will not detain people just to establish immigration status or enforce civil immigration law. MPS will not wear face coverings except "when allowed" under MN law.

P4: CoM's public buildings and property cannot be used by federal immigration enforcement. City resources cannot be used to control public areas on behalf of federal immigration law enforcement.

P5: CoM will not sign an agreement authorizing city employees, including MPS, to investigate, arrest, detain, or transport noncitizens on behalf of DHS, ICE, etc.

P6: CoM will not share data gathered by Flock or other license plate readers/camera to enforce federal immigration law.

P7: CoM will not share body cam data and footage in keeping with these statutes: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/13.825

P8: The City Manager (Susan Arntz) and City Attorney (Kennedy & Graven - Pam Whitmore) will stay updated on the relationship between the Constitution, local regulations, and federal immigration law.

P9: MCC asks that the MPS advisory committee review Chapter/Policy 414, which can be found at https://www.mankatomn.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/15914/638971526636500000. MCC will also share a copy of this resolution with all CoM employees.

This resolution went into effect on August 10, 2025.

08/11/2026

TODAY, August 11th! Get out there and VOTE 🗳️

Tomorrow, August 11 is Primary Election Day!

Please visit blueearthcountymn.gov/326/Elections for information regarding:
- Voter Registration
- Polling Locations
- Important Election days to come

Tomorrow's primary election ties to the General Election on November 3.