Minnesota’s anti-ICE protests are funded by a number of labor unions including AFSCME Local 3800, SEIU Local 26, and the Minnesota AFL-CIO; faith-based groups including the Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota, Faith in Minnesota and ISAIAH, and the Legal Rights Center; and activist organizations such as Indivisible Twin Cities and groups linked to the Headwaters Foundation for Justice. These organizations provide material support, legal services, bail funds, and organizing infrastructure. Several have received federal or state government funding for operational or program-specific purposes. Government grants are awarded for legitimate, approved uses such as operational costs, including maintaining offices and paying staff; program-specific work, including refugee legal aid, crime-prevention programs, and security upgrades for mosques; and security purposes, such as protecting buildings from hate crimes. Unions may also receive government workforce grants to support apprenticeship and training programs.
The funding is not designated for protest activity. The grants are not labeled as “protest funding” or “activism funding,” and no government agency issues checks explicitly for organizing anti-ICE demonstrations. Faith and community groups show clear instances of government funding, often tied to civil rights, security, or crime-prevention programs. The Council on American-Islamic Relations Minnesota received state funding through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Community Crime Intervention and Prevention Grant Program. CAIR-MN is listed as a grantee in recent funding cycles, including periods covering 2026–2027.
