Title
Calling on the State of Minnesota and Governor Walz to enact an energy and gas shutoff moratorium to keep Minnesota families safe and protect them from ICE.
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Whereas, the federal government’s campaign of discriminatory mass deportation has inflicted terror nationwide, and the Trump administration's fixation on Minnesota has cruelly targeted our community with harassment, intimidation, and violence; and
Whereas, Minnesota is currently experiencing the largest immigration operation by the Department of Homeland Security in the nation’s history, with the Trump administration claiming to have sent over 2,000 agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other federal agencies to Minnesota; and
Whereas, the public has experienced and documented countless instances of federal agents targeting and harassing residents based on the color of their skin, regardless of immigration status; and
Whereas, federal agents have been escalating violence against legal observers and community members protecting their neighbors, including Renee Nicole Good, who was murdered by an ICE agent on January 7, 2026 and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, who was murdered by multiple ICE agents on January 24, 2026; and
Whereas, these threatening and violent attacks on our residents have occurred in public spaces including schools, streets, hospitals, sidewalks, grocery stores, places of worship, and bus stops. As a result, many residents are unable to move freely due to the threat of harassment, violence, and abduction, forcing them to shelter-in place and impacting their ability to work and provide for their families; and
Whereas, in addition to the threat of violence and abduction, many families are grappling with the fear of having their electricity and heating shut-off due to an inability to safely go to work; and
Whereas, some cold weather protections do exist in Minnesota with the Cold Weather Rule, but only when a resident proactively contacts their utility and is able to work out a payment plan or enroll in an energy assistance program, leaving everyone else vulnerable to shut-offs during the coldest months of the year; and
Whereas, utilities such as Xcel Energy only provide support in English and Spanish on their support line that residents need to navigate in order to set up payment plans, making them inaccessible to a significant proportion of residents; and
Whereas, the state and federal assistance programs that are available can only be applied for by U.S. citizens, and in order to apply, they must submit sensitive personal data about every resident of their household, including whether or not they have a Social Security Card, which could potentially be exploited by ICE if they subpoenaed that information; and
Whereas, the 55106 ZIP code already had the highest rate of utility shut-offs in all of Xcel Energy’s territories before Operation Metro Surge began; and
Whereas, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Governor Walz issued Executive Order 20-01, declaring a Peacetime Emergency and directed the Public Utility Commission to enact a moratorium on utility shutoffs and gave residents statewide a lifeline and protection during an unprecedented national crisis; and
Whereas, residents in Minnesota are once again experiencing unprecedented danger and are vulnerable to losing their power and heat without government intervention, increasing their vulnerability to violence and abduction by the Trump administration; and
Whereas, the Saint Paul City Council stands alongside our neighbors who are under attack and calls on elected leaders at all levels to support our efforts to protect our residents.
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by The City Council of The City of Saint Paul: That the Saint Paul City Council calls on the State of Minnesota and Governor Walz to direct the Public Utility Commission to enact an energy and gas shutoff moratorium to protect residents who have been harmed by the federal government’s unprecedented attacks, "subject to applicable laws and regulations".
Be It Further Resolved that the Saint Paul City Council calls on the state to direct the Public Utility Commission to waive late fees, interest, and penalties for late payments on utilities for the duration of the moratorium, "subject to applicable laws and regulations".
Be It Further Resolved that the Saint Paul City Council calls on Xcel Energy to expand language service in bill payment assistance and arrear forgiveness to the languages spoken in our communities, including Hmong, Karen, and Somali, "subject to applicable laws and regulations".