DFLers open legislative session with proposal to make Minnesota a sanctuary state
In my session preview on Monday, I wrote that “the Republicans are leading with fraud” while “the DFL is prioritizing immigration.” This was quickly born out.
Yesterday, MinneapoliMedia reported on the launch of:
…the North Star Act (HF1100 / SF1181), a proposal backed by members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party that would prohibit state and local governments from using public resources to assist in federal civil immigration enforcement carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The measure would, the report continues:
- Reinforce constitutional protections, particularly the Fourth Amendment’s guardrails against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- Prohibit state and local agencies from sharing nonpublic data with federal authorities for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration law.
- Bar the use of state funds, facilities, equipment or personnel to assist ICE in arrests or deportations tied solely to civil immigration violations.
As the Sahan Journal reports, “The legislation was first introduced by DFL lawmakers Rep. Sandra Feist of St. Paul and Sen. Omar Fateh of Minneapolis in 2024, but did not gain traction and was never heard in committee in either chamber.” That might be because it was incredibly unpopular. Our March 2024 Thinking Minnesota poll found that:
…The proposal to prohibit any Minnesota entity from cooperating with federal immigration authorities is opposed by 59% of respondents, with 47% saying they are “strongly opposed.”
More recent polling suggests that this measure would be unpopular. A KSTP/SurveyUSA poll from late January asked, “Should state and local law enforcement in Minnesota do more to help the federal government with its immigration enforcement?” 50% of respondents said yes, 36% said no, and 13% were not sure. That is a gap of 14 percentage points in favor of cooperation over non-cooperation.
This preference was widespread, with “Yes” the most popular answer among males and females, all ages over 35, people with kids and without, Republicans and Independents, conservatives and moderates, every level of educational attainment, every income bracket, homeowners, urban, suburban, and rural voters, and voters in all regions of Minnesota. Only among those aged 18-34, Democrats, and renters was “No” the most popular answer.
A much-reported NBC Decision Desk/KARE 11/Minnesota Star Tribune Poll from February asked just one question about state and local authorities: “Do you think local police in your community should cooperate with federal immigration authorities to deport people who are in the country illegally?” 38% of respondents said that they should “Always cooperate,” 47% say they should “Cooperate in some cases,” and only 15% said they should “Never cooperate,” a ratio of 6 to 1 in favor of cooperation.
Once again, this preference was widespread. The total for at least some cooperation between police in their community and federal immigration authorities got more than 70% support in every single one of the eighteen categories given. Where cooperation found its lowest level of support, among “People of color,” it still scored 73%.
This bill is unpopular with Minnesotans but popular with the DFL’s base. It might get more of a push this year than it did in 2024.