On Tuesday, February 17, IATP along with more than 70 Minnesota-based civil society representatives participated in a private briefing meeting with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an influential mechanism of the Organization of American States, which plays an important role in holding governments in North and South America and the Caribbean accountable for protecting human rights. This meeting was organized online by the Advocates for Human Rights and the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School; we were there in solidarity, as participants shared how pressing the situation with ICE is for Minnesotans and laid the groundwork for future advocacy, sharing info on lawsuits filed against the federal government on behalf of individuals and communities targeted by ICE.
The meeting was closed and followed Chatham House Rule to allow participating organizations to provide sensitive information on human rights violations in Minnesota during the ICE surge — both Operation Metro Surge launched in December 2025, and Operation PARRIS launched in early 2026 — through these harsh winter months. During the meeting, representatives from MN organizations gave up-to-date assessments of federal policies and practices that caused harm to individuals and communities and shared how we found small but powerful anchors of care in our neighbors.
Below is a list of publicly available legal actions that have been taken by the Minnesota community, some of which were shared during the testimony on February 17.
- The Advocates for Human Rights filed a class action suit, which alleges that DHS has repeatedly blocked detainees from accessing legal counsel.
- The Advocates for Human Rights is also an organizational plaintiff in a complaint (seen here) by a group of refugees represented by the International Refugee Assistance Project, Berger Montague, and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. The suit challenges the illegal arrest and imprisonment of resettled refugees in Minnesota. More info here.
- In January 2026, the ACLU of Minnesota filed a class action lawsuit, Hussen v. Noem et al., against the federal government. The suit alleges agents conducted unlawful stops, detention, and warrantless searches based on race. More info here.
- ACLU is also part of a class action suit alleging incidents of racial profiling as part of immigration enforcement. More info here.
While some groups in the briefing talked about the legal action they’ve taken, others shared stories of refugees detained by ICE who still suffer mental health impacts from the torture they experienced at the hands of some of the most despotic regimes on earth.
Many more legal cases continue to unfold, and the fight is not over. Even though it has been two weeks since border czar Tom Homan announced an end to “Operation Metro Surge", new court filings show that there are still far more ICE agents in Minnesota now than there were before the operations began. IATP continues to stand in solidarity with our community and will keep tracking developments of these lawsuits as our neighbors seek justice.
To offer your support of our communities in the Twin Cities impacted by ICE, find resources and donation links here.
