Minneapolis Immigration Allies Coalition (MIAC)

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December 10 Meeting Report

from Judy Schlichting

MIAC met at Creekside UUC on Wednesday, December 10, and heard from Alison Griffith, a supervising attorney with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and a former member of Advocates for Human Rights for 10 years. She provided a wealth of information about resources and the current state of immigration enforcement.

One key point she made about assisting people with limited funds was to encourage all detainees to reach out and request to be on the list for visits from lawyers like herself. They visit detention centers monthly to advise detainees about their rights, and the detainee must ask for them to see them.

She brought news of campaigns by groups such as MIRAC (MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee), with Mary Vanderford leading the Immigrant Power Now Campaign for municipal-level changes in Minneapolis to benefit immigrants.

She called our attention to the Immigrant Defense Network, which has over 90 organizations in Minnesota. When you search online for this network, you find names and descriptions of these organizations.

Rev. Susie Hayward of Creekside UCC brought signs for church parking lots and also private business parking lots to prevent staging ICE actions. We have one that St. Luke may use. They ask for a $10 donation to defray costs (contact Creekside Church: 612-824-0761).

Two other resources were announced at the meeting:

  • Upstander Training: the next one will be January 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Loring Park.

Sign up to attend

  • Neighbors Helping Neighbors. This organization does neighborhood ICE Watch, neighborhood school protection, ride support for targeted communities, and shopping help.

Sign up with Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Upcoming MIAC Events

Please feel free to join us at Creekside if you'd like. We meet from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.

January 19: Mark Joffe Asylum Coalition For Transition - Twin Cities (ACT-TC) will be speaking about his organization’s work collaborating with faith communities and nonprofits to assist with housing, food, clothing, legal assistance, and English language training.

More about ACT-TC