Hundreds of St. Paul students walked out of classes and gathered at the state Capitol Wednesday to demand that ICE leave Minnesota.

Organizers said their fellow students are afraid and attendance in schools has dropped with the heavy presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the Twin Cities.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks to students at the state Capitol building in St. Paul on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Imani Cruzen / Pioneer Press)

“We’re out here because students are in fear of ICE coming to our schools,” said Naavi Noir, a sophomore at Central Senior High School. “They’re terrorizing our neighborhoods and they’re putting our safety on the line.”

As of Monday, no ICE or other federal agents have come to district buildings, according to St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent Stacie Stanley. However, there has been suspected ICE activity near schools, she said in a video address to families Monday. That presence has created a sense of fear, students said.

“We all see the absences in our classes of our peers. We all feel the stress,” said Sofía Gonzalez, a senior at Como Park High School. “Teachers, too. They’re figuring out what to do and how to go on with lessons. But none of this is normal, so it’s hard to act like it is.”

Minneapolis public schools were closed for two day last week and activities canceled after a report of armed U.S. Border Patrol officers at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. Minneapolis students returned to in-person classes Monday, with the option to choose remote learning through Feb. 12.

St. Paul public school students who feel unsafe attending class in person due to the immigration enforcement action in the Twin Cities can enroll in the district’s SPPS Online School, according to district officials. The online school enrolls students K-12.

Keith Ellison: ‘We sued them because they are breaking the law’

Attorney General Keith Ellison spoke to the students at Wednesday’s gathering about joint legal action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and related agencies brought by Ellison and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The lawsuit, announced on Monday, alleges violations of the First and Tenth Amendments, the Equal Sovereignty Principle, and the federal Administrative Procedure Act.

“We sued them. We sued them because they are breaking the law,” Ellison said. “They are breaking the law. Now let me tell you, this escalation, this surge which is resulting in not only people being beat up, not only people being thrown to the ground, not only people not going to school, not only people not going to work, but it’s resulted in the death of one of our neighbors, Renee Good. I want you to remember her name. She’s a martyr, she sacrificed.”

Good died trying to help vulnerable members of the community, Ellison said.

‘Fear in our community’

Students who rallied at the Capitol said the immigration enforcement is causing a lot of fear among their fellow students.

“There’s a lot of fear being built in our community and like you’re not able to go to school in the normal environment that you would right now,” said Tesfaamlak Sturm, a senior at Central Senior High School. “So, students of color, students who are members of vulnerable communities are really at risk right now. So, we feel the need to advocate for those students.”

Walking with the students were parents and community members, acting as “marshals” to keep the students safe.

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Some volunteers have similarly stood outside schools while students have left during dismissal time, such as at Central Senior High School or Highland Park Middle School and Highland Park High School, watching in case ICE shows up.

“I don’t think it’s right. I think they’re inflicting a lot of fear and trauma. All they’re causing is harm,” Gonzalez said. “They’re not here to enforce laws. They’re quite literally just enforcing fear. And we want them out.”

By ALI SWENSON, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has made abrupt and sweeping cuts to substance abuse and mental health programs across the country in a move that advocates said will jeopardize the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Tuesday night canceled some 2,000 grants representing nearly $2 billion in funding, according to an administration official with knowledge of the cuts who was not authorized to discuss them publicly.

The move pulls back funding for a wide swath of discretionary grants and represents about a quarter of SAMHSA’s overall budget. It immediately jeopardizes programs that give direct mental health services, opioid treatment, drug prevention resources, peer support and more to communities affected by addiction, mental illness and homelessness.

“Without that funding, people are going to lose access to lifesaving services,” said Yngvild Olsen, former director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and a national adviser at Manatt Health. “Providers are going to really need to look at potentially laying off staff and not being able to continue.”

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Funding tied to agency’s priorities

SAMHSA, a sub-agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, notified grant recipients that their funding would be canceled effective immediately in emailed letters on Tuesday evening, according to several copies received by organizations and reviewed by The Associated Press.

The letters, signed by SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher Carroll, justified the terminations using a regulation that says the agency may terminate any federal award that “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”

Grant recipients who were notified of the cancellations said they were confused by that explanation and didn’t get any further detail about why the agency felt their work didn’t match up with SAMHSA’s priorities.

“The goal of our grants is entirely in line with the priorities listed in that letter,” said Jamie Ross, CEO of the Las Vegas-based PACT Coalition, a community organization focused on substance use issues that lost funding from three grants totaling $560,000.

HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment on the funding cancellations, which were first reported by NPR. Two sources within SAMHSA who were not authorized to speak to media said staff weren’t widely notified of the agency’s action.

Programs at risk after funding is slashed

Organizations reeling from the news on Wednesday told the AP they had already been forced to cut staff and cancel trainings. In the long term, many were considering whether they could keep programs alive by shuffling them to different funding sources or whether they’d need to stop the services altogether.

Robert Franks, president and CEO of the Boston-based mental health provider the Baker Center for Children and Families whose organization lost two federal grants totaling $1 million, said the loss of funding will force his organization to lay off staff and put care in jeopardy for some 600 families receiving it. One of the canceled grants was awarded through the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, a more than 20-year-old program supporting specialized care for children who have been through traumatic events ranging from sexual abuse to school violence.

Franks said his organization’s work directly advances SAMHSA’s goals to address mental illness. He said trauma care provided to children through his organization helps people from all walks of life and reduces burdens on other parts of society.

“The reality is these programs are probably our most effective tool in addressing the issues that they identify as being critical to them,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t understand it.”

The National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, a group that represents local organizations that deliver safety net services, sent a letter to its members on Wednesday noting that many of its partners estimated the funding pullbacks were focused on grants classified as Programs of Regional and National Significance. They also said the grants totaled around 2,000 and likely amounted to some $2 billion.

The group said it believed certain block grants, 988 suicide and crisis lifeline funding and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics were spared from the cuts.

For Honesty Liller, CEO of the peer support organization the McShin Foundation in Richmond, Virginia, the loss of about $1.4 million in funding is personal. She said the foundation she leads saved her life 18 years ago when she was struggling with a heroin addiction.

The terminated grant has already forced Liller to lay off five staff members. It will mean fewer peers are available to go into local jails and visit incarcerated people who are recovering from substance abuse disorder.

“They need hope dealers like us, they need people that have lived experience in recovery and they need this funding,” Liller said. “I’ve just never felt so gut punched.”

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch beamed about his basketball team after it blew out the Bucks on Tuesday in Milwaukee.

“Really proud,” he said. “It was fun to watch us play.”

On both ends of the floor.

Defensively, Minnesota forced 19 turnovers — seven of which came from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Offensively, the Wolves shot 60% from the field, while making 22 triples and tallying a season-high 37 assists.

“Super sharp all over the place,” Finch said. “Gameplan was executed at a high level.”

And it was done without Minnesota’s two highest-paid players in Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.

Midway through the campaign, Edwards is in prime position to earn his first first-team All-NBA honor this season and finish in the top five in MVP voting. Gobert is one of the front-runners to win Defensive Player of the Year. Much of the team’s offensive success is credited to the guard, while the defense’s achievements are often attributed to the center.

Yet, when Finch was asked if Minnesota perhaps played with a heightened awareness Tuesday because it was down two of its top guys, the coach also noted, “this is a lot of accomplished guys.”

He added to that sentiment Wednesday during his appearance with Paul Allen on KFXN-FM100.3.

“I think our guys were amped up and ready to play. I think they wanted to prove what they could do down a couple guys,” Finch told Allen. “A lot of guys knew they were going to be asked to do more … and they were ready for it, because they’re (dang) good players themselves.”

The reality is eight of the nine players in Minnesota’s current rotation have scored 20-plus points in a playoff game.

Jaden McDaniels is a second-team, All-Defensive team forward who could drop 30 points at a moment’s notice. Naz Reid could win his second NBA Sixth Man of the Year honor this season. Donte DiVincenzo was a focal point of a Knicks team that went to a Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs two seasons ago. Julius Randle is a two-time, All-NBA player.

That’s not including first-round pick Joan Beringer, who shined via his energy in the first extended minutes of his rookie campaign, finishing with 13 points and five rebounds, or Bones Hyland, who’s solidifying his reserve guard role in the Wolves’ rotation and made five 3-pointers against the Bucks.

Randle had 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win. McDaniels had 14 points and three assists in the first quarter alone.

There’s talent up and down the lineup. The Timberwolves are far more than a two- or three-man band.

“We’re really fricken’ good,” DiVincenzo said last week, “and we have a really good roster.”

That much is clear, but even the obvious can get murky amid an 82-game season. Fits in regards to role and skillset are questioned on every roster and trade ideas are drummed up for solutions to problems that may not even necessarily exist.

Maybe the Wolves are deficient in certain areas. Who isn’t?

None of the team’s issues are due to a void in talent. That was on full display again in Milwaukee.

“We brought incredible pace to the game. Julius played outstanding at the point forward position, but everyone got out and ran,” Finch told Allen. “We played with great pace. … That’s one thing I’ve learned about us — the faster we get up and down in transition, the more it quickens our decision making. And our next action and the ball movement follows.

“When you’re moving the ball like that and you have a bunch of really skilled players out there who can all do their own thing, everybody is going to get good looks at it, and that’s what happened. We made the extra pass and it was not a lot of iso basketball. We played away from the crowd and just take the simple play.”

Ability takes over from there, no matter whose hands are holding the ball.

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“The lack of two- and three-bedroom apartments is not just a housing issue. It is a child success issue, a public health issue, and a community stability issue.”

(Photo via Shutterstock.com)

We often think about housing affordability at a superficial level, simply seeking greater supply to bring down prices. But this ignores a crisis just beneath the surface: the shortage of affordable, family-sized homes in desirable neighborhoods.

When families seek out apartments, they are searching for more than a place to lay their heads. They are searching for safety and community in neighborhoods with decent schools. When we fail to deliver affordable options that meet these needs, parents are forced to raise their children in overcrowded apartments, to shuttle between unstable living arrangements, or even to turn to temporary shelters. Children lose out: their education and relationships are fragmented and their safety is compromised.

The lack of two- and three-bedroom apartments is not just a housing issue. It is a child success issue, a public health issue, and a community stability issue. That is why the City Council’s passage of Int. 1433 to expand the availability of these units is so critical, and why it must move full speed ahead to override former Mayor Eric Adams’s veto—marking the beginning of a whole-of-government campaign to build a more family-friendly city.

At The Children’s Village and Harlem Dowling, two long-standing New York institutions founded on the belief that every child deserves unconditional love and belonging, we see the consequences of housing instability play out every day. 

Families who might otherwise thrive are squeezed by housing options that are too small, too scarce, or too costly. Children do their homework on the edge of a bed because there is no kitchen table. Teenagers sleep on couches because their families cannot secure a second or third bedroom. Sometimes, families that want to stay together are instead forced apart, interrupting a child’s education and leading to the loss of peers and community. 

We know what it takes to deliver for them, because we have built high-quality family housing in desirable neighborhoods. Thirteen years ago, we developed our first two-bedroom units at A Home for Harlem Dowling. We went further last year with The Eliza in Inwood, creating comfortable three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes that allow families of all sizes to put down roots. 

We knew the challenges: both projects pushed our organization to take on significant financial risk, and that’s why places like these are the exception, not the rule. Larger apartments cost more to build: they require more square footage, more walls, more plumbing, and, importantly, more bathrooms so families can live with dignity. In the affordable market, where rents are capped and funding formulas are rigid, these additional costs are too steep for developers—especially mission-driven nonprofits—to absorb without help.

Meanwhile, policies that once encouraged family-sized units across the city have been gutted. The city has steadily reduced requirements for two- and three-bedroom apartments. The market’s preference for studios and one-bedrooms that are cheaper to produce means the supply of family-sized homes shrinks further each year. 

What’s worse, driven by the housing crisis, some well-intentioned leaders are embracing this race to the bottom, exemplified by the recent push to permit construction of single-room apartments (SROs) as small as 100 square feet each. SROs, especially those designed for workers, have been a successful model outside New York—but here, these tiny one-room units with shared bathrooms have a long history of poor management, crime, overcrowding, and segregation. 

Simply put, there is a fundamental misalignment between what families need and what the system rewards, and recent policy shifts are widening that gap rather than closing it.

Thankfully, we also know what works. When larger units are built, turnover drops dramatically. Two and three-bedroom units have the lowest turnover rate of any housing type. That means greater neighborhood stability, stronger multigenerational support networks, better educational continuity for children, and reduced strain on city systems. In other words, they directly contribute to the very outcomes New York City claims to prioritize.

If we want a city where families remain part of the social fabric and not a city hollowed out for single 20-somethings, then we must be bold and change the economic calculus. That starts with incentives, not just mandates.

The city should modernize its subsidy structures to reflect the real cost of building family-sized homes in desirable neighborhoods. Financing tools should reward developers who prioritize these units. Risk-mitigation mechanisms should be strengthened, particularly for nonprofit organizations that reinvest rather than profit. And our regulatory environment should be reshaped so that family housing is treated as essential infrastructure, not a luxury.

We must be clear-eyed: these policy changes will not happen overnight. But we must also be honest: if we do not reverse course, we will continue building a city that works better for tourists and transients than the families who want to call it home. New Yorkers deserve better than that. Our children deserve better than that.

At The Children’s Village, we remain committed to building affordable homes that allow families not only to live in New York City but to flourish here. But we cannot do it alone. The public and nonprofit sectors must work together with urgency, clarity, and creativity to build the housing our families need today and for generations to come.

New York has always been a city for families. We must take decisive action to ensure it stays that way.

Jeremy Kohomban is the president and CEO of The Children’s Village.

The post Opinon: When it Comes to Housing, Let’s Put Families First appeared first on City Limits.