The presence of federal immigration agents on school grounds in Minneapolis has sent shockwaves through the city's student community, with a young journalist capturing the fear and disruption firsthand.
A Journalist's Instinct Amid Chaos
On 7 January 2026, Lila Dominguez, a junior at Roosevelt High School, was working in the school's basement on an article about the shooting of an ICE agent, Renee Good, earlier that day. Her focus was shattered when news broke that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had arrived on campus. "I was kind of pacing around. My hands were really shaky," Dominguez recalled. "I was just very overstimulated, and not really sure what to do."
Agents used chemical irritants outside the school and detained a staff member. While the school locked its doors for protection, students and staff witnessed the agents' actions. Dominguez's immediate response was to document the event for the digital newspaper she founded, aiming to inform her classmates.
Community-Wide Impact and Disruption
The raid at Roosevelt was part of a broader surge of ICE activity in Minneapolis and its suburbs. The repercussions were swift and far-reaching:
- Minneapolis Public Schools cancelled in-person classes for two days following the incident, offering virtual learning options through mid-February.
- Attendance plummeted across the metro area, with one Richfield charter school reporting rates below 40%, prompting a temporary shift to remote learning.
- In a jarring incident in the suburb of Crystal, a parent was detained at a bus stop while waiting with their child, though the child safely reached school.
Dominguez's column, headlined "ICE Needs To Get Out Of Minneapolis," resonated widely, amplifying a common demand in the Twin Cities. She wrote of the difficulty processing events happening "at our front doors" and the importance of being with loved ones.
A Call to 'Leave Our Kids Alone'
The enforcement actions have created an atmosphere of anxiety that permeates the classroom. "It doesn't feel normal at all," Dominguez said, praising school staff for their support but noting many absences and difficulty focusing. "Being a student in Minneapolis right now can be really scary."
Students at Roosevelt and other schools staged walkouts to protest ICE's presence after Good's killing. Collin Beachy, chair of the Minneapolis Public School Board, addressed the crisis directly, stating schools are affected by community events and calling for ICE to "leave our kids alone." District officials are now developing protocols for future interactions with immigration agents on campus.
The situation underscores a profound tension for young people, whose education is being disrupted by the very government entities meant to support it, leaving a community grappling with fear, anger, and uncertainty.
