When the Trump administration sent about 2,000 immigration agents into the Twin Cities, it triggered more than spontaneous outrage. Groups like Sunrise Twin Cities, Unidos MN, Defend the 612, and Copal MN built an organized counter-operation: tracking federal vehicles, mapping hotel locations, and mobilizing rapid-response teams to confront ICE in real time. What looked like grassroots fury was, in reality, backed by millions from major liberal foundations and politically active nonprofits, money that paid for logistics, training, and materials.
Sunrise, born as a climate movement, deliberately widened its mission into direct resistance to Trump-era enforcement, teaching activists how to interfere with federal operations and stage late-night disruption campaigns outside hotels. Unidos MN’s hotline and field teams turned rumors of ICE sightings into instant deployments. After the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good during an ICE operation, tensions exploded, and the line between documentation, disruption, and outright confrontation grew thinner, intensifying both public scrutiny and political stakes.
