The Human Rights Center, Binger Center for New Americans, and Advocates for Human Rights Hold Briefing During the U.N. Human Rights Council Session in Geneva, Switzerland
On March 4 the Human Rights Center, Binger Center for New Americans, and Advocates for Human Rights held a special briefing in Geneva, Switzerland to provide UN member states, UN agencies, and international civil society with expert analysis of the scope and federal immigration operations in Minnesota. The event was organized in connection with the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council and with the support of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and the International Service for Human Rights. Listen to the full conversation
Testimony From Minnesota Experts
Sarah Brenes, Executive Director of the Binger Center for New Americans, described key developments before Operation Metro Surge that dramatically shaped how the federal enforcement operations were conducted. In January 2025, a Department of Homeland Security memo rescinded an existing policy that had established “protected areas” in which immigration enforcement would not be conducted. Sarah read the list of previously protected areas for the audience - including schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, places where children gather, social service establishments, disaster and emergency response sites, and cultural and civic gathering spaces. She noted that “here we are, a year later, and we could probably give you an example of nearly every one of these places where there was an enforcement action.” Sarah also noted the Supreme Court ruling in September 2025 that cleared the way for racial profiling to be used as grounds for immigration enforcement actions.
Drawing on her organization many years of direct legal service and strategic litigation in response to the federal operations, Michele Garnett McKenzie ’95, Executive Director of The Advocates for Human Rights, described two main trends: “Two key areas that we have seen significant erosion has been the undermining of our refugee protection system, which is being systematically dismantled before our eyes. And of course, the retaliation, intimidation, and extrajudicial killings of people in civil society who are protesting.” Michele called the audience’s attention specifically to the rollback of the internationally recognized right to seek refuge, which in Minnesota has been “dramatic and breathtaking.”
As a result of these tactics, panelists expressed that many migrants and people of color are staying (hiding) in their homes which has substantial consequences on health and education. The following three panelists then reflected on different types of impacts from these actions. Jan Conlin, a volunteer attorney with the Advocates for Human Rights, spotlighted the impact the operations have had on education, noting that “entire families have just stayed home, and kids can't learn if they don't feel safe.” Jan also emphasized how schools and teachers have been on the frontlines of trying to address the most immediate consequences.
Dr. Calla Brown, a physician with the Community-University Health Care Center emphasized the pervasive structural racism and intersecting inequalities that have impacted the right to health in Minnesota. She shared her experience that with the beginning of Metro Surge, they saw an incredible decline in the number of families and children seeking care in our community. “We saw children and families who waited until they were in extremis to present to the emergency room. And while presenting to the emergency room, had to contend with the possibility that they could get picked up by a military-armed person and taken away in this really horrible moment.” Calla emphasized for the representatives in attendance that even as we witness a drawdown in the number of agents in Minnesota, “the effects are going to be long-standing and long-term, and will require a huge investment from the local, national, and global community to help families heal.”
Finally, Jessica Klander, President of the Hennepin County Bar Association, reflected on the unique mission of bar associations and their role in a democratic society. Jessica described the retaliation on law firms, lawyers, and judges as an important part of the background to the situation in Minnesota. She noted the chilling effect that this has created across the legal community. Part of the mission of bar associations is to foster public confidence in the rule of law. In this respect, Jessica reflected: “When enforcement practices appear designed to create uncertainty, where agents are masked, and force is used quickly, the result is self-censorship. Oversight diminishes, and trust erodes.”
International Perspectives
The conversation benefitted greatly from the insights of international experts as well. Phil Lynch, Exeucutive Director of International Service for Human Rights, helped emphasize the connections between the experience in Minnesota and observation so the global retreat from human rights commitments, noting the “parallels and linkages between the human rights situation in the US and human rights as affected through US foreign policy.”
Mary Lawlor, United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, shared insights from her recent visit to Minneapolis at the invitation of CLA’s Human Rights Program. She called attention to the resilience and “community spirit” she witnessed – through the “grassroots initiatives that have sprung up to assist people, the resilience in the face of structural racism.” Ms. Lawlor also underlined the importance and necessity of international outreach and monitoring, including through United Nations special procedures.
Finally, Lucy McKernan, UN Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch, urged attention to the critical question of meaningful accountability for harms suffered, in accordance with US and international law. Human Rights Watch is conducting a documentation effort in Minnesota and on federal immigration operations in the United States more broadly that aims at informing those accountability efforts.
A Call For Continued Engagement
Amanda Lyons ’09, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center, closed the event by reminding the representatives of governments and UN agencies that there is a robust, dynamic, and diverse civil society in Minnesota, that is eager to connect with international audiences and solidarity movements. Lyons referenced the presence of more than 60 Minnesota organizations at a virtual briefing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as evidence of the interest of Minnesota organizations to engage with international observers, mechanisms and solidarity movements. She called on the states and UN agencies present to continue to monitor the situation in the United States and to find ways to support and lift up the efforts of immigrant communities and their allies.
