Trump and Noem’s ICE proves no match for ‘Minnesota Nice’ — and what that really means

When thousands of federal agents rolled into the North Star State earlier this month, tasked by the Trump administration with carrying out “the largest immigration operation ever,” residents showed them what “Minnesota Nice” really looks like.

The meaning behind the Midwestern trope varies depending on who you ask. But by and large, it's the notion that Minnesotans are kind, polite and pragmatic. They will help you shovel snow off your driveway or give you directions if you’re lost — but there might be an unexpected sting in the tail.

“My experience with Minnesotans has been very up and down,” Minnesota native Sade Young explained. “For a long time I was like, ‘we need a rebrand,’ because Minnesotans can be very passive-aggressive.”

But in the wake of the killings of mother Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti, both 37, at the hands of federal immigration and border agents in Minneapolis, the term appears to have taken on a new meaning.

There has been nothing passive-aggressive about the way Minnesotans have shown up to mobilize against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, particularly in the Twin Cities. Now, in an apparent de-escalation, the Trump administration has announced it is removing immigration enforcement leadership from the state.

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Together, the community has raised thousands for migrant families who are falling behind on rent because they are too afraid to go to work. People who have full-time jobs are organizing food and clothing drives for those in need, while bars, restaurants, coffee shops and stores took part in an economic blackout last week and have barred federal agents from entering their properties.

Young, a content creator and social media influencer, said the way her neighbors have come together in the face of ICE terror has “completely blown [her] mind.”

“This is the ‘Minnesota Nice’ that I've always wanted to see,” Young told The Independent. “This completely turned it around, seeing how people are showing up, how people are caring for their neighbors.”

Fellow Minnesota native Maddie Flom said her interpretation of the trope was about “always lending a hand.”

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“Our whole thing is ‘Minnesota Nice’ and it's really just about helping your neighbor,” the 28-year-old said. “I grew up in an environment where neighbors would shovel each other's driveways, or borrow a cup of sugar from each other…we were born and raised this way,” Flom continued.

“We need to do this. We need to stand up. We need to protect our neighbors and our community. And it's been truly beautiful to see.”

Flom works full-time in hospitality, but alongside her day job, she has been organizing fundraisers to support families impacted by the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration surge.

She has organized an event this week at a local restaurant where people will create activity kits for children who are too afraid to go to school amid the ICE activity.

“A lot of families have had to take shelter with neighbors because they're too scared to even be in their houses,” Flom said. “I am very heartbroken for the kids who are stuck at home and scared…So I really want to do something to bring at least a little bit of joy and a little more normalcy.”

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Young is also using her content-creating skills to support the ICE resistance. She has used social media to organize a coat drive for those being released from the Whipple Building, which houses a detention center and has become a base for immigration agents and protesters.

“A lot of people are being taken directly from their homes without coats,” Young explained. “The past few days we've been in negative temperatures… I was told that a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old were released two days ago without jackets. People are giving these items off their own backs so these children don't freeze to death.”

She has also created a centralized page, Minnesota Neighbors, on Instagram where people can find causes to donate to.

Small businesses are doing what they can to take a stand against the crackdown.

Popular adult store Smitten Kitten joined the resistance by transforming into a donation hub, collecting diapers, food and other essentials, as protesters went armed with sex toys from the store to demonstrate outside a hotel where ICE agents were reportedly staying.

Over in Saint Paul, Vanessa Beardsley is the owner of Catzen Coffee, a coffee shop with a cat lounge that provides a peaceful, welcoming space to all — except ICE.

“We've been handing out constitutions and now we have full-on whistle kits that we give out,” Beardsley said. “We have signage in our window regarding the Fourth Amendment, and regarding the fact that ICE is not welcome on the property.”

Speaking out has come at a cost. Beardsley said her staff have faced intimidation by a group of pro-ICE supporters who came into the coffee shop earlier this week.

“The men were lingering and asking a lot of really uncomfortable questions and making it very clear that they had driven up from Chicago, that they were here to protect ICE from the protesters,” Beardsley said.

“They wouldn't leave the staff alone, and they would follow the staff around wherever they went. It was extremely intimidating.”

Beardsley added that the group took video and pictures of the coffee shop as though “they had an intimidating purpose.”

A day after Pretti was killed, Beardsley said the incident was especially unsettling for her staff. “The day before, we had all seen with our two eyes, six or seven federal officers execute someone in the street,” she said. “So we don't know who's going to go Call of Duty on us, right? There's no oversight at this point.”

The coffee shop wasn’t the only business in the area that experienced harassment for speaking out, Beardsley said. “Other businesses around here got broken into…there's a place around the street that is a drop-off [point] for donations,” she said.

“They also have their windows smashed.”

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Despite the intimidation of seeing hordes of masked, heavily armored armed federal agents on their streets, Minnesotans are standing firm.

“We've all come together and we're all becoming helpers in the best way that we each can,” said Beardsley. “If there's anything that's like a silver lining, it’s seeing the amount of people that show up at each planning meeting, at each constitutional observer meeting, the number of neighbors that we've gotten to know… we have to lean on each other in our neighborhoods.”

While many Minnesotans are relieved to see Border Patrol “commander at large” Gregory Bovino leave, anticipation over what will happen next remains.

Young said it felt “freeing” to know Bovino was leaving Minnesota, but as a person of color she is still “constantly looking over [her] shoulder” even though she is a U.S. citizen.

“I can't drive without looking over my shoulder constantly, I don't like commuting anywhere,” Young said, adding that she and her friends carry their passports everywhere in case they are questioned by federal law enforcement.

“It's the reality that a lot of people I feel like aren't seeing,” she said.

Beardsley said that she remained “skeptical” following the news that Bovino and some federal agents were leaving the state. “On the other hand, if it could just take the pressure off for a week so we could catch our breath. But it’s not over,” she said. “It means they're going somewhere else.”

As Minnesotans come to terms with the horrifying events of the last few weeks, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz made a short statement on social media Monday that summarized how many are likely feeling right now.

“I’ve never been prouder to be a Minnesotan,” he wrote.