Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

08/14/2026

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran father, died in a New Jersey ICE facility last week. Lopez-Cornejo's family recounted speaking with him on the phone about the severe medical neglect he experienced in detention. Lack of proper medical care ultimately led to his death, his family says. Whether in broad daylight or behind closed doors, where vulnerable people suffer in isolation, immigration enforcement and detention is designed to s***f out human life.

ICE said Edwin Lopez-Cornejo suffered a “medical emergency,” while the family says he wasn’t properly treated to keep his medical conditions under control and called for an investigation.

08/12/2026

Despite the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on birthright citizenship, the Administration continues to attempt attacks on the longstanding principle. Two new executive orders aim to strengthen current laws around who qualifies for birthright citizenship. The aggressive effort to restrict citizenship provides clarity around the concept of citizenship itself: it confers rights and privileges upon those who are deemed qualified to hold it and relegates others to a subordinate status.

President Donald Trump is taking another swing at so-called birth tourism and birthright citizenship, citing a “very unfortunate decision” in the Supreme Court this year.

08/10/2026

ILCM is delighted to welcome Jessie Mischke as one of our newest board members. Jessie is a Human Resources leader at 3M. She currently leads a global team responsible for internal HR investigations and compliance governance. Previously, Jessie held HR roles focused on global labor strategy, compliance, and risk mitigation governance, after practicing employment law for many years in both law firm and in-house corporate environments, including at 3M, Life Time, Inc., and Dorsey & Whitney, LLP. She is committed to volunteerism and community involvement, including through past pro bono legal work and current support of local and nonprofit organizations.

Welcome, Jessie!

08/05/2026

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is appalled at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility set to open in Appleton, Minnesota. At 1,600 beds, the CoreCivic facility would be the first private ICE detention facility in the state and among the largest carceral facilities in Minnesota.

"At times, entering detention facilities can be a death sentence, yet not a single immigration violation is considered a capital offense,” ILCM’s Director of Public Policy and Public Affairs, Julia Decker, stated. “It starts to beg the question: what is the point of immigration detention?”

ILCM denounces privatized detention as a revenue stream. A system that pays a private company per person, per day creates an incentive to take people away and detain them for longer. As Operation Metro Surge and other actions have shown, incentivizing detentions incentivizes violence against communities, violations of civil rights and civil liberties, and further dehumanization of immigrants and refugees.

Appleton sits roughly 150 miles west of the Twin Cities, where the majority of Minnesota's immigration attorneys, accredited representatives, and interpreters are based. Detention far from counsel is a functional obstacle to due process. ILCM is also concerned that people will be transferred into Appleton from other states, separating them from their attorneys, their evidence, and their families, and compounding access to counsel problems well beyond Minnesota's borders. This announcement comes on the heels of over 3,800 ICE agents terrorizing Minnesotan communities. A new horror is at our doorstep.

Read ILCM's full press release here: https://www.ilcm.org/immigrant-law-center-minnesota-warns-first-private-ice-detention-facility-state-sets-dangerous

08/04/2026

You're invited to join us as we celebrate the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota's 30th Anniversary at our Stronger Together Fundraiser. We hope to see you on September 25 from 6:00pm-9:00pm. The evening will feature an internationally inspired dinner by BIPOC Foodways, live music by Salsa del Soul, inspiring community stories, and our Stronger Together Impact Awards.

At a time when our communities have been targeted and face political uncertainty, we strive to keep families together, protect fundamental liberties, and ensure access to justice for all. Don't miss out on this unforgettable opportunity to network, celebrate, and be inspired as we write ILCM's next chapter.

RSVP at:

Celebrating 30 Years of Community, Resilience, and Advocacy

07/30/2026

In an interview with the Minnesota Women's Press, ILCM’s Julia Decker described how “lawful pathways to [immigration] status are being restricted and under heightened scrutiny.” Decker commented, “The broad spectrum of what is happening is an attempt to make it more difficult for people to access the legal immigration system.”

With a 75 percent increase in fees, pathways to legal U.S. citizenship are being eroded — even as the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling about birthright offered a glimmer of hope. A quick overview and some suggested action steps ...

07/28/2026

ILCM’s Julia Decker spoke with Truthout about the continued impacts of Operation Metro Surge. She highlighted the uncertainty that immigrants still face and the fact that many who were detained months ago are still suffering in ICE custody.

Operation Metro Surge cost residents and businesses in Minneapolis nearly $700 million in economic losses.

07/08/2026

ILCM’s Julia Decker spoke with MPR News about the recent Supreme Court decisions on TPS and asylum. She parsed out some of the finer points of the rulings, clarifying how they affect people today. Decker emphasized, “People's lives are changed from one day to the next by these types of rulings.”

A Supreme Court ruling Tuesday left birthright citizenship intact, preserving a constitutional guarantee that has shaped Minnesota families for generations.

07/03/2026

Despite a court order banning the sharing of individual tax identification numbers (ITINs) between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE appears to be buying tax information via a data broker. The approximately $10 million contract is related to ITINs, a number many undocumented people use to pay taxes in the absence of a Social Security Number.

A $10 million procurement reviewed by 404 Media indicates ICE is buying records related to immigrants’ tax identifiers. “It looks for all the world like Trump is trying to skirt the law and a court order to fuel his mass-deportation campaign,” Senator Ron Wyden said.

07/03/2026

Join our team! ILCM is looking for a dedicated, passionate individual to serve as a Legal Secretary. The Legal Secretary provides support to legal teams, in particular our New Beginnings team. The Legal Secretary performs a range of administrative and case support duties to assist ILCM staff.

Please read through the job description and apply on our website!
https://www.ilcm.org/jobs-internships