Hennepin County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Jan. 13 denouncing what they described as violent or constitutionally questionable actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and directing county administration to establish a structured response with weekly updates.

The resolution's sponsors — Commissioners Fernando, Connolly and Edelson — said the measure was intended to protect residents and county workers and to create a clear operational record for coordination and oversight. Commissioner Fernando summarized the resolution's seven requested outcomes for administration: a cohesive communications strategy, a staff reporting mechanism for safety and rights concerns, policy and procedure reviews to protect clients and workers, aggregation of federal orders to balance compliance and safety, updates to the congressional delegation on county impacts, after-action reviews with state partners, and engagement with local governments to quantify workforce and service disruptions.

Fernando described local impacts including reported disruptions to schools, clinics and businesses and referenced the death of a resident, saying: "Here in Minnesota and here in Hennepin County and across Minnesota, people and minors have been racially profiled, intimidated, physically assaulted and unlawfully removed from homes." He also called for an independent or parallel investigation of the killing of Renee Nicole Goode.

Commissioners across the board described the enforcement activity as undermining trust and public safety and emphasized the need to document impacts, expand supports for affected residents, protect county service delivery, and coordinate with legal and state partners. Commissioner Connolly said the resolution was "actionable, solid" and aimed at steps county government can take immediately. Several commissioners noted litigation already under way and the need to engage the county attorney and attorney general.

The resolution passed on a voice vote. The board directed the county administrator to implement the seven-step operational response and to provide weekly updates to commissioners about impacts to county workers, residents and services.

What's next: county administration will stand up the reporting and communications mechanisms described in the resolution and return to the board with weekly briefings. Multiple commissioners voiced support for pursuing after-action reviews with state partners and for forwarding impact information to the congressional delegation.