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North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live is a daily, five-minute newscast that shines a spotlight on the stories and perspectives of Minnesota’s diverse communities, including Black, Latine, Asian American, East African individuals, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA2S+ residents, laborers, veterans, and those from Greater Minnesota.
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Today, a recent ICE arrest at work has many questioning what federal officers can require of employers. And yet another change to student loan repayments leaves former college students in our state struggling financially. I'm Gracie J.
Officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, are becoming more brazen in their efforts to arrest and deport immigrants, the Trump administration says are in the country illegally. In an exclusive report last week, USA Today announced the paper obtained a document showing the Trump administration has told officers they can even enter private homes. Last month in Marshall, Minnesota, located in the Southwest corner of the state, ICE officers arrested a hospital employee after telling staff members they had to call the man to attend a fake staff meeting. The case raises serious questions about what rights and responsibilities employers have if ICE agents come calling.
Reporter Xan Holston spoke with a business immigration attorney to try and clarify a very complicated issue.
Xan Holston: When ICE agents approached Aditya Harsono's employer, it put them in a legal gray zone, a situation many more businesses may find themselves in. According to Loan Huynh, an immigration attorney and chair of law firm Frederickson's Immigration Group, ICE doesn't have the authority to force employers into action during a workplace arrest.
Loan Huynh: Employers are not agents of law enforcement. That's all there is to it.
Xan Holston: Huynh is adamant about this. Employers don't have to do anything to help ICE if they come to the workplace, but they do have clear responsibilities.
Loan Huynh: They may come and request to talk to you as the employer, and you may absolutely speak to them, but it doesn't mean you have to allow them access to any of your private areas at your place of business, unless they have a traditional warrant.
Xan Holston: Understanding the kind of warrant agents present isn't just a technicality. It can determine whether an employer lawfully protects their staff or exposes them to legal risk. There are two types of warrants, administrative and judicial. Administrative warrants are usually signed by an ICE agent or administrator. They allow agents to detain people suspected of violating immigration law, but they don't give agents the right to enter private property, like homes or non-public areas of a workplace. Judicial warrants signed by a federal judge, carry more authority and allow agents to search spaces which will be listed on the warrant. When presented with a warrant, Huynh says it's important employers understand what it allows agents to do and where it allows them to go.
Loan Huynh: They should ask for time to review the warrant, and they have the right to ask to contact counsel to review the warrant.
Xan Holston: Huynh says that requesting time to review the document and getting legal advice can prevent employers from accidentally giving up rights they're entitled to under the law. She says training staff ahead of time is also critical. Front desk workers are often the first point of contact, and their actions can have major consequences.
Loan Huynh: You also have to train your employees on your procedures and what may happen because they're on the front line right
Xan Holston: Clear internal guidelines can help businesses respond appropriately if immigration agents come calling and avoid being pulled into situations they may not fully understand. Harsono's case shows how quickly immigration enforcement priorities have shifted, and how businesses and employers are navigating unfamiliar ground.
Loan Huynh: I have never in my 30 years of immigration practice had a case where an individual's visa has been revoked for the type of minor citations that we're seeing.
Xan Holston: She recommends that employers get training for themselves and their staff to make sure they're prepared in case of visits. She also argues that if the federal government is going to change the way it enforces immigration law, its approach should be clearly spelled out.
Loan Huynh: If that's the position that this country wants to take, then we need to have laws that establish that kind of rule.
Xan Holston: For North Star Stories, I'm Xan Holston.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Many Minnesotans are scrambling to figure out how to repay student loans. Starting May 5, the federal government will resume involuntary collections — meaning overdue borrowers could face garnished wages, seized tax refunds, and other penalties. The move marks a shift from pandemic-era policies, which paused collections and offered extended leniency for several years. In Minnesota alone, federal student loan debt totals about twenty-six billion dollars, owed by roughly seven hundred thousand borrowers. People affected can avoid collection actions by enrolling in repayment plans at student aid dot gov.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.