Brooklyn Park leaders urge rapid legal, housing and business aid after ICE enforcement; consider eviction protections

Mayor Winston convened a special Brooklyn Park work session on immigration resources on March 26 to coordinate a near-term response after recent federal immigration enforcement that residents and business owners said has driven people from workplaces and frightened families.

City officials, county representatives and state lawmakers outlined a mix of immediate and longer-term steps to help affected residents and businesses. "We have made policy from the place of the vulnerable," Mayor Winston said, urging that the city’s response prioritize people most at risk. City Manager Jay Stormhill described an "immigration task force" modeled on an emergency-operations structure to triage housing, legal, youth and business issues and to update online resource pages.

Why it matters: officials said the scale of need and language and trust barriers mean existing hotlines and printed resource lists are not enough. Representative Samantha Vang and other legislators described widespread calls for help, especially from Hmong residents who often cannot get through resource numbers or encounter services at capacity. Vang said accountability is a priority at the state level and that lawmakers are exploring eviction moratoria and targeted funding lines.

County and city staff described programs that can be leveraged quickly. Jeff Lundy summarized county efforts: a website and QR code with contact numbers, case managers who coordinate across rental, health and mental-health buckets, and adult representation services that provide legal help in eviction and immigration situations. "The resources are there," Lundy said, but officials warned that nonprofit partners are stretched and that formal grants take time because of RFP processes.

Local policy options were debated but face legal and practical limits. Director Tim Gladhill noted statewide notice rules that currently include a 14-day period and that some municipalities extend notices to 30 days; he said Brooklyn Park’s stronger protections are tied mainly to apartment-community sales and that cities generally cannot impose an immediate local moratorium without going through an ordinance process. Police and public-safety leaders emphasized targeted approaches: BPPD has offered a 911-based option for residents who fear ICE involvement and urged careful, precise measures that protect safety while avoiding unintended consequences.

Officials also urged nonlegislative responses: reviving philanthropic support, routing rapid funds through county administrators to stretch local dollars, negotiating with landlords in eviction court to make funds go further, and deploying culturally specific nonprofit responders and embedded social workers to reach families who distrust government. County and city leaders said they will pursue a two-track approach of near-term direct supports and longer-term legislative pushes for funding and protections.

Next steps: city staff will coordinate with county and legislative staff to define work streams and follow up with a meeting focused on nonprofit leaders to finalize delivery channels. Mayor Winston said a coalition of suburban mayors will press for additional resources at the state and federal levels while the city focuses on immediate relief and carefully targeted local policy changes.

The council recessed to continue additional agenda items and planned follow-up meetings to work with nonprofit partners and legislators on both emergency and structural responses.