The Minneapolis City Council is advancing a proposal to implement an eviction moratorium and provide $1 million in rental assistance for residents impacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations targeting illegal aliens in the city.
City Council Minority Leader Robin Wonsley, who authored the proposal, described ICE as “a deadly virus.” She warned that contact with the agency could end a person’s life “either literally, or by completely uprooting you, abducting you.”
In an interview with Jacobin, Wonsley criticized President Donald Trump, stating: “Our president is a domestic terrorist who is actually not interested in negotiating in good faith. He smells weakness. He feels emboldened by his perception that he got Walz to drop out of his gubernatorial race after pushing fraudulent charges for several months and building a public narrative around that.”
Wonsley also accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) of yielding to Trump’s pressure, adding: “People are disappointed because the state has options, and it’s refusing to use them. Instead of a rent moratorium so people can shelter in place, we get the political version of a boss’s pizza party: symbolic comfort and no material protection.”
She emphasized the need for business assistance to help workers retain jobs, noting businesses are not receiving customers due to the current economic climate. “We understand that, in addition to rental assistance — to support our big moratorium — there also needs to be business assistance,” Wonsley said.
The council will vote on the proposal this Thursday.
