Resident delivers petition asking Saint Louis County to boost rental, emergency aid amid reported ICE activity

At a Feb. 24 listening session in Cotton, resident Sarah Orlene delivered a petition to the Saint Louis County Board asking the county to increase rental and emergency assistance for residents she said feel unsafe and insecure amid reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

Orlene said the petition has "about 250 signatories right now" and that she would email the full petition to the board. She cited "Operation Metro Surge," saying the petition reports two killings and many detentions and that ICE detentions have been described as unsafe and unsanitary. While she said the majority of activity has been in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Rochester, she told the board that ICE officers have also been observed driving through the Northland and that local jails have been used for detention.

The petition calls on Gov. Tim Walz to consider a statewide eviction moratorium and asks the county to act immediately without waiting for the governor by reallocating local resources to expand emergency rental assistance. "The county along with trusted nonprofit partners can step up to show voters that in the Northland, we take care of each other," Orlene said.

Orlene also linked the request to recent federal program instability, saying some residents continue to feel the effects of SNAP funding fluctuations. She asked the board to consider temporarily suspending some projects and prioritizing emergency aid to keep neighbors housed and fed.

The public comment period recorded in the transcript did not include a response from board members or any formal action; Orlene said she would deliver the full petition by email to the board.

The county did not take any vote or announce a follow-up at the listening session; the board moved on to its regular agenda after public comment closed.