Here & Now Anytime Minnesota superintendent on 'fearful' students being followed by masked ICE agents
Jan 29, 2026
Zena Stenvik, Columbia Heights superintendent, describes students scared after ICE activity near schools. Brian Bakst, Minnesota Public Radio reporter, gives local reaction to Tom Homan's remarks. Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Brennan Center senior director, analyzes rising ICE funding and the growing detention system. They focus on school safety, community responses, enforcement plans, and how money drives detention infrastructure.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Students Harassed Near Schools
- Zena Stenvik describes students being stopped, showing passports to masked agents, and a five-year-old detained and sent to Texas.
- Community members now escort kids, teachers walk students, and families fear school pickup and dropoff.
Students Calling Principals In Fear
- Stenvik recounts a 16-year-old who had to show his passport to masked agents and called the principal in fear.
- She says buses and walk zones are no longer safe, prompting volunteers and church members to provide safe passage.
Organize Community Safe Passage
- Provide supervised routes and community escorts to keep students safe traveling to school.
- Coordinate with churches, parents, and volunteers to maintain routines and deliver supplies.
