Legislation to restrict access to school sites for immigration enforcement activities continues to move through the Minnesota Legislature. The Senate Education Policy committee considered SF 3611- School sites access limitation, authored by Senator Kunesh. After hearing testimony, the committee approved the A-1 Authors Amendment version of the bill on a 10-0 vote, which will move on to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. The Minnesota PTA supports this bill and is one of 12 education organizations who submitted a letter of support to the committee. 

A second bill, SF 3803 - Mann: Denial of education based on immigration status prohibition provision, authored by Senator Mann and Senator Boldon, was also considered and the A-2 Authors Amendment was approved on a 6-4 vote. This bill will also move on to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. The Minnesota PTA supports this bill, which follows the provisions of the National PTA Position Statement "Rights and Services for Children in Immigrant & Mixed-Status Families" 

The Minnesota PTA Advocacy Team will continue to follow these bills as they move through the legislature and provide testimony or letters of support as needed. Watch for potential Action Alerts for PTA members to voice support to your legislators - sign up for alert notifications at http://www.votervoice.net/MNPTA/register

Minnesota PTA submitted written testimony to the House Education Policy Committee hearing on 2/17/26 in support of HF3435. This bill would limit access by federal immigration agents to school areas where students are not present, unless they provided valid identification, a written statement of purpose, and a valid judicial warrant, in addition to receiving approval from a district superintendent or charter school administrator.

In a 7-7 vote along party lines, the bill was not approved to move out of this committee to the next step, which could have been another committee or to a vote in the MN House. (House Session Daily article: Education panel fails to approve bill that’d keep ICE away from schools, students). Testifiers spoke for almost two hours, sharing story after story of the distress, disruption and long-term impacts of recent immigration enforcement on Minnesota students, staff, families and schools. 

The Senate Education Finance Committee held their own hearing earlier in the day which also provided an opportunity for immigration enforcement effects to be shared. While there was no specific legislation being considered, testifiers asked that future legislation be passed to give schools additional funds to address the financial impacts of student absences, resources for mental health professionals, and to maintain or increase services for low-income and special education students. Members of the Committee also shared perspectives about the impacts of immigration enforcement that, like in the House Education Policy Committee, also differed along party lines.

The House Education Policy Committee held a hearing on 2/19 about "Presentations on the Impact of Operation Metro Surge on Minnesota's Students and School Communities". Past Minnesota PTA President Heather Starks testified at the hearing from her perspective as a Bloomington School Board member.