URGENT REQUEST FOR SUPPORT:

Be one of the bunnies at the Conejo Rally on May 9, 2026

1-3 pm on the Minnesota State Capitol Mall, St. Paul

During Operation Metro Surge, approximately 4,000 immigrants and their families had their lives torn apart due to a relentless series of ICE kidnappings, which occurred over three months since December 1, 2025 (according to government data provided by ICE in response to a FOIA request to the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by MIRAC). The median age of ICE arrestees was 35 years; however, about 30 children (ages 16 and under) were arrested by ICE, including the infamous case of Liam Conejo Ramos.

In January, ICE agents kidnapped 5-year-old Liam and his father outside their home in Columbia Heights, MN, and sent the two asylum seekers to the notoriously cruel Dilley detention center in Texas, where Liam became depressed and ill. As images of the scared preschooler in his blue bunny hat (shown on the left, Ali Daniels via AP) stoked global outrage, a judge ordered ICE to release the pair, and they returned home on February 1 — but their nightmare is not over. 

The federal government is still trying to deport Liam and his family — and in fact seems determined to retaliate against them for the attention their case has received. The Department of Justice successfully moved to end the family’s asylum claims, and now it has appealed the release of Liam and his father. Liam’s situation is emblematic of tens of thousands of children across the state who live under the constant threat of being orphaned by ICE’s targeting of their parents, or even being kidnapped themselves.

To call attention upon the 4,000 lives like Liam’s that were impacted by Operation Metro Surge, MIRAC will hold the Conejo Rally at the Minnesota State Capitol Mall (75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd) on May 9, 2026, from 1-3 pm. However, we need your help.

We need at least 4,000 people that are willing to wear a blue bunny hat to the rally, and then put the hat on the Capitol stairs to create a visual of the number of immigrants kidnapped during Operation Metro Surge. Officials going in and out of the Capitol should be forced to tread upon these blue bunny hats for as long as sanctuary state measures are still not passed, and children still get hurt due to ICE violence and deportations. See the bottom of the webpage for MIRAC’s sanctuary state demands that we will push via the Conejo Rally.

If you are able to help us with the Conejo Rally, please fill out the form below. Whether one wears the bunny hat, makes the bunny hat, or simply attends the rally, any and all participation would be greatly appreciated. Please invite your family and friends to the rally!

Request for stories of the personal impacts of Operation Metro Surge

Dear community,

MIRAC wants to hear your stories!! We want to know how Operation Metro Surge has affected you. We ask our immigrant neighbors, family members, and those who have been directly affected to call 612-460-0017 and leave a voicemail telling us your story. We want to note that you will have an option to tell us if you’d like your stories to be shared by MIRAC in future media, film, and communications to shine a light on the effects of Operation Metro Surge on our community. On the other hand, you can choose to keep your testimony confidential, and just use this space to vent about your experiences during this painful and unprecedented time.

Thank you for sharing your stories.

In solidarity,

MIRAC

2026 MIRAC Campaign:

The People of Minnesota

Demand a Sanctuary State NOW!

Unidentified federal agents and bounty hunters continue to kidnap our neighbors and sow terror across the state — and we now face heightened danger from local agencies cooperating with ICE. WE SAY NO MORE!

Communities across Minnesota are demanding legislation to make us a sanctuary state, and we stand firmly in support of these efforts — but WE CANNOT WAIT.

We need protections now, and Governor Walz has the power to make it happen. Walz can protect Minnesota immigrants through an executive order, following the lead of governors in Massachusetts and New Jersey. We are tired of leaders who refuse to take action.

We demand that the Governor:

  • Ban 287(g) agreements and all collaboration between local agencies and ICE

  • Ban immigration enforcement agencies in and around schools, hospitals, and houses of worship

  • Ban immigration enforcement agencies from using state property

  • Ban face coverings and require visible ID for all law enforcement officers

  • Defend anti-ICE protestors against political repression

  • Provide justice for victims of ICE terror 

  • Implement a statewide eviction moratorium

We expect every single gubernatorial candidate to endorse these demands, and they will be hearing from us until they do. ICE out of Minnesota — no compromises!

Call Governor Tim Walz at 651-201-3400 to demand that he protect immigrants and all Minnesotans from federal violence and repression. Click here for the script.