A high school journalist in Minneapolis found herself at the heart of a national immigration enforcement story when federal agents descended on her school grounds, an event she documented with trembling hands.
A Journalist's Instinct Amid Chaos
On 7 January 2026, Lila Dominguez, a junior at Roosevelt High School, was working in the school basement on an article about the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent earlier that same day. Her focus was shattered when news broke that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had entered the school campus.
"I was kind of pacing around. My hands were really shaky," Dominguez recounted. "I was just very overstimulated, and not really sure what to do in that moment for the people that I was with, or the people outside or my family."
Agents used chemical irritants outside the school and detained a staff member. While the school locked its doors for protection, students and staff witnessed the agents' actions. Dominguez's immediate instinct was to report. The founder of the school's digital newspaper channelled her shock into a column titled "ICE Needs To Get Out Of Minneapolis."
"It’s hard to process these things, especially when they are happening at our front doors," she wrote that day, in a piece that swiftly circulated far beyond her school community.
Widespread Disruption and Fear in Schools
The incident at Roosevelt was a flashpoint in a broader ICE surge into Minneapolis communities. In response, Minneapolis Public Schools cancelled classes for two days and offered virtual learning options through mid-February. Attendance has dropped across the metro area, with one public charter school in Richfield reporting attendance below 40% and moving temporarily to remote learning.
The anxiety has permeated daily life. Dominguez described how, after the school closure, no new work was assigned, but concentrating on daily tasks was nearly impossible. "It doesn't feel normal at all," she said of the current school environment, despite praising staff support.
The reach of enforcement operations has extended to the suburbs, directly impacting young people. In Crystal, Minnesota, a parent was detained at a bus stop while waiting with their child. The Robbinsdale school district confirmed the detention but stated all students boarded safely.
"We recognize this news can create fear, confusion, and anxiety for students and for adults across the district," the district stated.
A Community Calls for Change
Collin Beachy, chair of the Minneapolis Public School Board, addressed the crisis at a press conference. "Schools and school districts exist within communities, and what happens in the community affects our learning environment," he said, calling for ICE to "leave our kids alone."
In the days following Good's killing, students at Roosevelt and other schools staged walkouts in protest. Dominguez observes many empty seats in her classes now, noting the difficulty of focusing on education during a community crisis.
She articulates the profound fear felt by students: "Being a student in Minneapolis right now can be really scary, because going to school is something that kids are so lucky to have. The fact that our own government is keeping us from the schools that they provide and they want us to be at is scary, and it’s sad and it’s angering."
As schools scramble to create protocols for future ICE visits, the young people of Minneapolis, led by voices like Dominguez's, are living through a tumultuous chapter that has redefined their sense of safety and normalcy.
