Minnesota State Lawmakers Discuss ICE Impacts on Agricultural Sector

The coalition present at the news conference warned that if enforcement actions continue in this fashion, the state could see a very noticeable hit to its food supply.

ST. PAUL, MN (KVRR) – Many state lawmakers are concerned that ICE actions could needlessly threaten Minnesota’s agricultural production.

They held a press conference in St. Paul and included speakers from Minnesota Farmers Union.

They discussed how much the state relies on farming and agricultural output, and how the presence of ICE agents can interfere with employees and business operations.

DFL Sen. Rob Kupec of Moorhead said that even immigrants who are in the United States legally will still sometimes stay home instead of going to work because of how much they fear ICE.

“They’re afraid to go to work, because they may just get picked up,” he said. “We have seen numerous instances of legal people being picked up, detained, shipped off in some cases to faraway places, and at times facing down people with guns.”

Officials said that even outside of a humanitarian perspective, the food supply in Minnesota will be significantly impacted if ICE continues to operate in this fashion.