Redemptorist Father John Schmidt, pastor of St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center, was cautiously optimistic as he heard the news Feb.12 that “Operation Metro Surge” was nearing an end.
“We’re optimistic about the proposed drawdown from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), but very cautious as well to see what the impact might be for the parish,” Father Schmidt said.
“I think people may be, initially, just very wary as well, just to see what this would shape up to look like and what any ongoing enforcement might resemble in the coming days and weeks,” he said.
U.S. Border Czar Tom Homan announced Feb. 12 that many of the 2,000 federal immigration enforcement agents in the Twin Cities and other parts of Minnesota since Dec. 1, 2025, would begin leaving. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called the increased enforcement effort “Operation Metro Surge.”
The federal enforcement push led to thousands of people protesting in the Twin Cities, and two Minneapolis residents were shot by federal agents in separate incidents: Renee Good, 37, on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti, also 37, on Jan. 24. Both died.
Because some immigrants didn’t want to leave their homes for fear of being detained, parishioners at St. Alphonsus and other parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis delivered food, offered spiritual accompaniment and met other needs.
Mary Synstelien, 83, helped St. Alphonsus deliver food to Latino families.
Sometimes a father walked outside to accept assistance, sometimes a mother with a teenager, Synstelien said. In some cases, window shades were drawn in hopes it appeared that no one was home, she said.
They broke into smiles of gratitude and joy as they accepted packages of meat, vegetables, eggs, milk, tortillas and other items, Synstelien said.
“It’s kind of like someone actually cares, in this time of what I consider evil happening,” Synstelien said Feb. 10, before news of the federal drawdown. “It makes me want to cry when I think about it.”
Assistance in food and rent helped about 160 Latino families at St. Alphonsus, Father Schmidt said. Mass attendance at St. Alphonsus plummeted, faith formation was solely online beginning in December and calls for holy Communion and pastoral visits in homes grew, Father Schmidt said.
St. Alphonsus also is home to a large immigrant population from Africa, including Liberia, Nigeria, Cameroon and Togo, Father Schmidt said. But the Latino community — many from Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Ecuador — appeared to be the most impacted, he said.
“Maybe because this enforcement seems to be targeted toward Latino groups, and of course, the Somalian community, which isn’t here” (at the parish),” Father Schmidt said, referring to President Donald Trump highlighting social services fraud investigations and convictions in Minnesota that have included some members of the Somali community.
In another example of parishes in the archdiocese responding to the needs of immigrant families, volunteers at St. Stephen-Holy Rosary in Minneapolis, the heart of a large Latino community, unpacked 300 pounds of donated chicken Feb. 6 and placed the packages into a freezer. Romaine lettuce, baby spinach and other vegetables were unpacked next and placed into Ziploc bags on their way to about 165 families in need.
Volunteers Josselyne Bounay, 32, and Iridian Martinez, 27, parishioners of St. Stephen, worked alongside Bill Muske, 63, and Patrick LaCombe, 67, both of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. The two parishes have a longstanding “sister parish” relationship that includes members of St. Bartholomew pitching in to help the largely immigrant population at the Minneapolis parish, LaCombe said.
The next day, Feb. 7, about a dozen drivers from St. Bartholomew distributed the food.
It was the second major food delivery from St. Stephen-Holy Rosary since the increase in federal immigration enforcement began. In addition to food assistance, about 35 families sought help with rent, said Father James Stiles, pastor.
The list for assistance grew as fear in the community increased and time marched on. People didn’t go to work, shop or attend school for fear of being detained — whether they were undocumented or had the documents to be in the United States legally, Father Stiles said.
“There was a turning point, really around the time of Alex Pretti,” Father Stiles said. “There was a turning point where people just said, ‘No more. I’m not leaving my home.’”
The number of immigrants impacted and parishes that helped them also grew as the enforcement effort widened, Father Stiles said.
Back at St. Alphonsus, a large hall at the parish held canned goods, corn flour mix, tortillas, sugar, diapers and other items.
Eileen Irgens, 72, and a member of St. Alphonsus, said she volunteers as a tutor at Sharing and Caring Hands’ Mary’s Place in Minneapolis, which offers transitional housing for families. She is worried about the long-term impact of the increased immigration enforcement on children and families.
Recently tutoring five children, she noted that four of them had not been in school recently due to their families’ concerns about immigration enforcement.
“They are so sad because they love school, where they are with other students, getting lunch,” Irgens said. Her own 9-year-old granddaughter has been worried about some of the protests hurting her mother, who works in downtown Minneapolis, Irgens said.
“Even kids who are not directly impacted” are concerned about what is taking place around them, Irgens said. “We have no idea what the reach is for all our kids.”
Long-term impact was also on Father Stiles’ mind at St. Stephen-Holy Rosary. Even as the extra 2,000 federal agents prepare to leave Minnesota, memories, emotions and difficulties will remain, the priest said.
“How do we tend to this?” Father Stiles asked. “Because this can’t just be like, ‘Oh, that was a bad memory. It’s like, no, that actually was a real experience. It really, deeply affected us. Our kids, that’s the thing, our kids are suffering right now. …
“We need to get up, and we need to calm each other down and attend to each other and just encourage each other and pray with each other for healing,” Father Stiles said.
REDUCED MASS ATTENDANCE
One measure of harm done by the federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota is reduced Mass attendance by members of immigrant communities, said Father James Stiles, pastor of St. Stephen-Holy Rosary in Minneapolis.
“We’ve seen about a 75% reduction in attendance,” he said Feb. 6. The 9 a.m. Sunday Spanish Mass on a busy day would draw about 700 people, Father Stiles said. “Now, we’re down to about 100” or 150 people, he said.
“One of the things that we’ve been saying around here is if they can’t come to Christ, Christ will go to them,” Father Stile said. “So, we’re saying, OK, we have got to build some teams of people” who aren’t concerned about being pulled over by federal immigration agents and who can deliver holy Communion, he said. “We’re probably, maybe two weeks behind the curve on this. But as you know, this has been a very unpredictable situation.”
A meeting set up to start planning the delivery teams was called off Jan. 24, for example, Father Stiles said. That was the day federal agents shot Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, 37, less than a mile away from the church. Pretti died. Rather than holding the meeting, Father Stiles spent time making certain people around the church campus were safe.
A CATHOLIC IMMIGRANT’S REFLECTIONS ON DAILY LIVING
Estela Villagrán Manancero received the following letter dated Jan. 31 from a 51-year-old immigrant from Mexico who is a widow and a parish leader in the Latino community in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Her letter has been lightly edited. Villagrán Manancero is director of the archdiocese’s Office of Latino Ministry.
“Hello, I would like to share with you how I feel as an immigrant during these historic times with what is happening in Minnesota. I arrived in Minnesota with my husband, Esteban, at the age of 23, thinking we would only be living here for about three years, but God’s plans were different; I have now been living here for 28 years.
I love Minnesota, and I am especially happy to live in St. Paul, my favorite saint’s namesake city. Starting in December 2025, we began hearing about the presence of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Enforcement agents) in the state, especially arresting people of color, which made me feel intimidated about going out after dark. In early January 2026, we started hearing and seeing much more in the media that sparked terrible fear among us Latinos.
For now, the curtains in my house are closed almost all the time, pretending that we are not home. My children are carrying their passports wherever they go in case they have to prove that they are citizens. As a mother, I am afraid that they will be mistreated if something were to happen. Personally, I have avoided driving, so it has been a great blessing that many people give my son and me rides to school and back home. I only go out when necessary, and thankfully, there are also people who help us with grocery shopping. Sometimes I feel confined to my home and limited, but I also feel loved by all the people God has sent to support us. I am also saddened by the many families in parishes with Latino communities who are confined to their homes. They cannot attend Mass, many have stopped working, and some have even lost their jobs. Their children, who used to ride the school bus, now have to go out alone and in fear.
The lack of work has brought them the anguish of not having money to pay their rent and other expenses, and everything is becoming more and more difficult. I have faith in my heart that God is in control of everything, even though I don’t understand what is happening. It moves me and gives me hope to see the marches that people in Minnesota and other places are holding, even in this extreme cold, to end this type of persecution against us Latinos. It is comforting to witness this struggle that thousands of people are undertaking for us, and also sad because of the deaths of citizens and the injustices that many families are experiencing.
I know you are very aware of what is happening with this issue, and I appreciate your prayers and the personal actions you are taking. I am truly very grateful to have you all. Many greetings to everyone, and I hope you are well and enjoying your children.
Lucero
