ST. PAUL, Minn., March 13, 2026 — Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, moderated the March 10th People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement: Minnesota, a public forum documenting the civil rights impacts of federal immigration enforcement.
Hosted at Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES), the hearing convened civil rights organizations, legal experts, advocates, and impacted individuals to provide testimony on immigration enforcement practices, detention conditions, and the effects on families and communities. During the forum, 28 people provided testimony, and more than 100 community members attended throughout the day.
The forum was convened by civil rights and community organizations including the Hispanic Federation, Latino Victory Foundation, and the Miranda Family, alongside community partners. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined Liliana Letran-Garcia, President of CLUES, to deliver opening remarks.
Chair Garza moderated panel discussions and engaged directly with testifiers, asking follow-up questions as participants shared firsthand experiences related to immigration enforcement, detention conditions, family separation, and access to medical care in detention facilities. Although the Commission has received requests to investigate ICE enforcement activities, including from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Commission has not yet voted to open an investigation into the issue. The civil rights organizations leading the hearing created a public record documenting firsthand experiences of immigration enforcement and its impacts on families and communities, contributing to civil rights oversight efforts.
See Relevant Commission Reports:
- Trauma at the Border: The Human Cost of Inhumane Immigration Policies (2019) – Examines the civil rights and human rights consequences of family separation policies and immigration detention practices, documenting the psychological and physical harms experienced by children and families.
- The State of Civil Rights at Immigration Detention Facilities (2015) – Reviews conditions in immigration detention facilities and identifies evidence of due process violations, inhumane detention conditions, and failures in oversight of detention standards.
- Federal immigration law enforcement in the Southwest: Civil rights impacts on border communities (1997) – Examines allegations of racial discrimination, abusive enforcement practices, and limited accountability mechanisms in federal immigration enforcement operations.
- The Tarnished Golden Door: Civil Rights Issues in Immigration (1980) – An early Commission report documenting due process concerns in deportation proceedings and the civil rights implications of immigration enforcement policies.
- Other Immigration Reports and Briefings by the Commission – A comprehensive collection of Commission reports, briefings, and advisory committee studies addressing immigration-related civil rights issues.
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