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PBS News Hour - Segments

Minnesota schools and students struggle with fallout of immigration crackdown

PBS News Hour - Segments

PBS NewsHour

News, Daily News

4.11K Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Last week, White House border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Despite some signs of a slowdown, parts of the state continue to see a presence of federal agents. Beleaguered Twin Cities communities are grappling with what comes next, and schools may face the longest road back to normal. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Transcript

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0:00.9

Last week, White House Borders are Tom Homan announced the end of the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

0:07.0

Despite some signs of a slowdown in enforcement, parts of the state continue to see a presence of federal agents.

0:14.0

That's as beleaguered Twin Cities communities are grappling with what comes next.

0:18.0

And as special correspondent, Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, area schools may face the longest road back to normal.

0:25.9

Many of the sites at Valley View Elementary are entirely familiar. Young students shuffling single file through the halls,

0:34.5

vocabulary lessons in colorful classrooms, and foot races at recess when the

0:40.3

temperature climbs above freezing. But all around there are reminders of just how unusual

0:46.3

the past several weeks have been. An entryway filled with donated food. a parking lot where community volunteers pick up students

0:56.7

for parents unable to venture out, and classrooms that have seen up to one-fifth fewer students

1:03.1

than normal.

1:04.1

I think we try to minimize it, but I think the trauma is already there.

1:08.0

Jason Coolman is the principal at Valley View. Four of his students were detained during Operation Metro Surge, and he says there's been a near

1:16.6

constant presence of ice in neighborhoods around the school.

1:20.6

I think the hardest thing is the helplessness.

1:22.6

We can't stop an abduction.

1:23.6

We can't stop ice taking people.

1:26.6

What we have to do is pick up the pieces.

1:28.3

Valley View, a majority Hispanic school in the immigrant heavy Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights,

1:34.3

began offering a virtual option in late January for families too scared to send their kids in person.

1:41.3

About 70 students are still learning remotely.

1:45.0

Our kids start looking and they start seeing those empty chairs and it's consistent and

1:49.0

you see our staff start getting anxious because they know what happened, you know, and that's

...

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