Review of requested items from January 12, 2026, City Council Meeting.

Motion authorizing the City Attorney to prepare an amicus brief on behalf of the City Council.

At the January 12 City Council Meeting, the City Council requested staff to review a number of items. In addition, the City Council received requests in a two-page memo that listed a number of items; this document suggests that the requests and potential actions were created by Global Civilian Coalition. We do not have information regarding this Coalition. This memo is intended to provide an update of what has been done, what is in process, and the items that are still being reviewed.
 
Discussion of Possible Regulations/Management on ICE Activities
Attached is a memo from the City Attorney responding to the Council’s request to provide information regarding what, if anything, a city can do to manage U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. Additionally, the memo intends to provide written guidance regarding the rights of city officials and employees related to ICE or other federal immigration enforcement agencies’ requests for information or presence on city property. Page 4 of the memo addresses the request to review ordinances and other policies that have been adopted by other communities.
 
Discussion Regarding Joining the Lawsuit with the Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul
Because of timelines set by the judge, the City is not able to join this lawsuit at this time. Instead, in discussion with the City Attorney, the City could consider filing an amicus brief as part of that lawsuit, if allowed by the Court, which would identify the City’s impacts as it relates to the recent activities. Kennedy & Graven has designated one of its
litigation attorneys to be in contact with the Plaintiffs regarding the lawsuit to monitor opportunities for cities to participate. The City Attorney will be available during the City Council Meeting to discuss this consideration.
 
Internal Training
We have recently provided City Staff protocols for Interactions with Outside Government or Law Enforcement Representatives.
 
Development of a Resource Page on the City’s Website
Staff are in the process of developing a resource page on the City’s website. The page will include:

• An FAQ section with questions and answers to the concerns that were presented at the January 12 City Council Meeting so that the general public has access to our responses.
• A document showing the protocols for our law enforcement staff's response to immigration-related matters.
• A resource page that will provide information and phone numbers for the general public in the event they need support related to a variety of topics, including housing support, food support, or assistance from Blue Earth County Social Services.
• A link to the Greater Mankato Diversity Council’s web page that will host information related to “Know Your Rights” education.

 
Potential Actions from Global Civilian Coalition
The document that was provided to the City Council has a number of items listed as potential actions that the City may consider.
 

• Modification of the City’s Policies Related to Work with ICE and Providing Required Training to Law Enforcement Officers on the Amended Policy
  • Staff have asked the City Attorney to review the Mankato Department of Public Safety Policy 414: Immigration Violations. The policy language that is in place is compliant with federal and state law. Any changes would be reviewed for compliance.  

 

• Prohibit All City Employees from Assisting ICE Operations
  • City employees do not conduct immigration enforcement.

 

• Prohibit all ICE Agents from Using City-Owned Land or Property
  • The City does not allow anyone to set up and use the parking lots or other public spaces for their business. We do have special event permits and do not consider the activities that would likely be involved in a request from ICE to be an event. If ICE were to set up in a parking lot or on a street, like anyone else, we would be in a position to pursue legal remedies to remove them. Further, if they applied for a permit, it would likely be denied for a variety of reasons, most specifically because we would not be able to provide safety to the community or the individuals using the space.

 

• Require Public Reporting of All Contact Between City Employees and ICE (On or Off-Duty)
  • Complying with this request is operationally challenging. The City does not have financial resources to accurately track on and off-duty interactions. Also, state law protects off-duty actions of employees from employers. Finally, the City Council should be aware that the federal government has pursued legal action against some public entities for this type of reporting as obstruction of their processes. This request is impractical and has the potential to be a violation of law.

 

• Conduct a City Council Meeting or Working Session Focused Exclusively on Protecting Residents from ICE Activity
  • Assisting the community in navigating this scenario is going to require more than one meeting. The time spent at the January 12 meeting started this process. Staff will continue to assist in supporting the Council in reviewing matters and will present them as they are identified. The situation is dynamic and changing daily. We continue to work on issues as they arise and report out as we can.

 

• End the City’s Use of AI Surveillance Technology or Use the ALPR System to Detect and Alert Residents to the Presence of ICE Agents
  • The City’s use of the Milestone Camera System and the License Plate Readers is not used for immigration enforcement, rather assists in alerting the Department of Public Safety to vehicles involved in crimes, missing persons, and other related crimes. Using the license plate reader technology to identify federal ICE agents and push alerts to residents likely violates state law (Minn. Stat. 13.824), creates privacy claims, may be considered by the federal government as obstruction of their legal process, and violates city policy related to this technology.

 

• Ask MNSU and MAPS to Provide Online Learning Options
  • It is outside the purview of the City’s work to make this suggestion to another entity. The requestors should share their request with these entities directly.

 

• Fund Free Groceries (and Grocery Delivery) For All Workers Staying Home Due to Fears of ICE Abduction
  • The City does not have statutory authorization to spend taxpayer money in this manner. MN Statutes do provide the City the authority to allocate funds as a grant to another organization or food shelf that provides food, without charge, to the public. The City will share information with the community about food support that exists in the community on our website’s resource page.

 

• Institute a Freeze on All Evictions
  • As is noted in the attached memo from the City Attorney, the City does not have the authority to freeze evictions on all properties. Minneapolis passed a resolution requesting the State of Minnesota and Governor Walz to institute a statewide eviction freeze to keep residents in their homes. Minneapolis’s resolution also calls for the State to provide financial assistance to impacted cities to begin the recovery efforts needed to stabilize our communities.
    
    The City’s housing staff already have a lot of ability to avoid evictions due to changes in employment and income. We would recommend that the City Council support the staff efforts to continue to work within the parameters of the programs we have to assist and support our public housing clients, as our goal is to avoid evictions in most cases. Our housing staff work hard with our clients to avoid evictions and keep our clients in their homes.

 

• Provide Police or Police Reserve Escort for Workers
  • The City does not have the capacity to provide police or police reserve escort services for workers in the community.

 

• Fund Know-Your-Rights Trainings and Constitutional Observer Training
  • We have engaged with the Greater Mankato Diversity Council regarding this, and they have agreed to publish online information regarding Know Your Rights education, which we will link to on our website.

 

• Fund the Rapid Response Network
  • The City does not have statutory authorization to spend taxpayer money in this manner.

 
As this matter is fluid and changing daily, the information provided here is what is known at the time of writing. In the event conditions change, we will advise the Council during the meeting.