Stories & Perspectives Featuring LEDC, Community Voices, and Local Impact
Check back here for new media coverage, interviews, and stories featuring LEDC and community perspectives. If you have media inquiries or want to share news with us, please contact LEDC.
Brookings Institute’s The Current — March 19, 2026
The MSP community came forward during Operation Metro Surge
LEDCs Executive Director, Alma Flores, describes the impact of Operation Metro Surge on the Brookings Institute’s The Current.
CBS Minnesota/WCCO — February 27, 2026
Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota
National radio program segment in which host Jen White interviews Alma Flores, citing city estimates of 81 million dollars in restaurant and small-business revenue losses and discussing 525 business applications totaling about 6.9 million dollars in requested relief, far beyond available funds.
Sahan Journal — February 20, 2026
ICE drawdown may be too late for small businesses like El Sazon
Follows one restaurant’s struggle during the enforcement drawdown and notes that the owners applied for emergency assistance grants through LEDC, which is administering relief funds.
Sahan Journal — February 18, 2026
Latino leaders seek relief from Minnesota Legislature in wake of immigration operation
Covers a Latino leaders’ coalition seeking legislative aid, quoting Alma Flores on LEDC raising 1.4 million dollars while receiving 385 applications requesting 4.5 million, and describing small businesses as “community anchors” harmed by fear.
Radio Jornalera MN — February 13, 2026
Apoyo del LEDC para Negocios Latinos
Spanish-language community radio and podcast segment presenting LEDC as a trusted resource for immigrant entrepreneurs and highlighting its business assistance, including education, loans, grants, and related support.
Fox 9 — February 13, 2026
Operation Metro Surge cost Minneapolis at least 203 million dollars
Details Minneapolis’ estimate that Operation Metro Surge has cost at least 203.1 million dollars, citing an LEDC survey in which more than half of respondents reported a critical impact on revenue.
CBS Minnesota/WCCO — February 13, 2026
Gov. Tim Walz “cautiously optimistic” about federal immigration enforcement drawdown, focuses on recovery for small businesses
Reports the governor’s comments on the surge winding down, integrating LEDC data showing 364 emergency grant applications totaling 4.48 million dollars and quoting Alma Flores saying “we are overwhelmed” by demand.
Nation’s Restaurant News — February 11, 2026
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz promises relief to Twin Cities restaurants and other businesses as ICE surge continues
Trade press coverage of Governor Walz’s pledge to support restaurants and other businesses, citing LEDC figures that 44 percent of Latino businesses in St. Paul have temporarily closed during the enforcement surge.
The Guardian — February 10, 2026
‘These are people’s livelihoods’: Minnesota’s economy in crisis amid ICE surge
A feature on the surge’s economic toll using LEDC survey data showing that nearly a third of businesses reported temporarily closing, quoting Alma Flores’ fear that many will not survive and her warning that cities risk losing their tax base without action.
KSTP / 5 Eyewitness News — February 3, 2026
Immigrant-owned businesses in Minnesota struggle with reduced hours
Local TV and digital coverage of immigrant-owned businesses across Minnesota closing or cutting hours amid fear tied to federal immigration enforcement, quoting Alma Flores on cascading financial strain, noting many LEDC clients are operating at only a fraction of normal levels, and highlighting LEDC’s emergency fund.
CBS Minnesota/WCCO — February 3, 2026
Grants to give helping hand to St. Paul’s immigrant-owned businesses impacted by ICE operation
Covers LEDC’s new 800,000 dollar emergency grant program for Latino-owned businesses, with Alma Flores calling applicants’ stories “heartbreaking” and emphasizing that “the need is urgent.”
The New York Times — February 2, 2026
‘It’s Been Brutal’: Twin Cities Economy Suffers Under ICE Crackdown
Immigration raids have scared off customers and workers, a pattern repeated in other cities where federal officials have arrived in force.
Ampers — January 22, 2026
Impact of Statewide ICE Presence on Tribal Citizens and Small Businesses
LEDC’s Executive Director, Alma Flores, was featured on North Star Stories, a news program by Ampers, where she discusses how intensified ICE activity across Minnesota is impacting small businesses and local communities. In her interview, Flores explains:
- The growing presence of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota
- How this climate is affecting everyday life for business owners and families
- The broader community response across the Twin Cities
(Alma’s segment begins around the 16-minute mark)
Star Tribune — January 14, 2026
Immigrant corridors in both Minneapolis and St. Paul nearly shut down by intensifying ICE actions
Reports that ICE raids have left Lake Street and St. Paul’s East Side nearly empty, with LEDC Executive Director Alma Flores warning the impact is “worse than COVID” and that agents are “terrorizing our communities.”
