Welcome to the February 2026 Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans newsletter. As we start the year, our state has found itself at the center of national debates over immigration, social services, federal and state rights and authority. While these issues have garnered much attention nationally, they have had a profound, direct impact on the lives of Asian Pacific Minnesotans here in our state. Please read ahead for some recent and upcoming developments.

 

The second legislative session of the current biennium is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, February 17. After a busy session in a tightly divided legislature in 2025 to set the current two-year budget, legislators will return to debate policy changes and a potential bonding bill. Policy debates over immigration, fraud prevention and accountability, gun control, and other issues that have emerged since the end of the last session are likely to be major areas of focus.

 

The legislative session is scheduled to take place this year between February 17 and May 18. This November, all 201 state legislators, the statewide constitutional offices, and a U.S. Senate seat will be on the ballot in this fall’s election.

 

 

On Tuesday, February 3, White House chief border officer Tom Homan announced that the number of federal agents in Minnesota would be reduced by 700 to about 2,000 during the ongoing Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS.

 

Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing in Congress to reach a compromise on new limits on immigration enforcement in exchange for funding for the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is funded until February 13, after which point it, and the immigration enforcement and other activities it leads, will go into a partial government shutdown. Lawmakers have until this Friday to reach an agreement on funding and any new limits on activities by CBP, ICE, and other immigration and border enforcement agencies.

 

 

The Council is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our inaugural Legislative Policy Fellowship. The policy fellows will conduct research, engage with community members and organizations, assist staff with policy advocacy initiatives, and draw on their personal and professional knowledge of Minnesota’s Asian and Pacific Islander populations.

 

This position is part-time and temporary, requiring up to 20 hours per week, ending around September 30, 2026. Learn more about this position and apply at https://mn.gov/mmb/careers Job ID: 91689.

 

 

With so much happening every day and the state legislative session approaching quickly, the Council wants to hear from you about priorities, events, questions, or feedback on what matters to you and your community. To share your views or provide information to include in the next newsletter, contact Andrew Morris, Legislative and Public Affairs Director, at andrew.morris@state.mn.us.

 

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