Montana Sen. Cora Neumann speaks at a press conference in the Minnesota Capitol surrounded by state lawmakers from across the country on Jan. 29, 2026. The lawmakers traveled to Minnesota to show solidarity for the state as 3,000 immigration agents continue to operate in Minnesota. (Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer)

Democratic lawmakers from 13 states visited Minnesota Thursday to show solidarity for the Midwestern state that has seen 3,000 federal agents flood its city streets and the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration officials.

The lawmakers warned that the federal incursion in Minnesota could come to their own states, even if they are Republican-led.

“What’s happening in Minnesota is a test case for federal overreach that threatens every single state in this country, and Montanans would never take lightly to uninvited federal government agents in masks coming onto our land. And if you know Montanans, you know that,” said Montana Sen. Cora Neumann at a press conference in the Minnesota Capitol.

About 50 lawmakers — from states including Utah, Georgia, Oregon and North Carolina — stood beside about a dozen Minnesota lawmakers in St. Paul.

The Trump administration has given different explanations for the ongoing immigration enforcement “surge” in Minnesota. Initial reports suggested the operation would target Somali Americans. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said when the operation began in December that it was intended to “eradicate FRAUD.” Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz last week demanding the state hand over troves of Medicaid, nutrition assistance and voter data.

Given the shifting explanation, state lawmakers said they’re worried a similar operation could occur in their home states.

Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson said hundreds of federal agents have been posted in Memphis since September. Tensions between protesters and the agents in Memphis haven’t turned violent like in Minneapolis, but Pearson said Tennesee’s Republican leadership has betrayed immigrants by allowing federal agents into Tennessee cities.

“They’re going to governors where they are less likely to face resistance,” Pearson said. “They’re finding conduits with these Republican governors to then attack Black and brown people.”

Pearson said the resistance to the federal agents he’s witnessed in Minnesota has inspired him to hold a hearing in Tennessee to hear more from citizens about how the influx of federal agents has impacted them.

Neumann said that this is a moment in history that requires everyone to stand up for the people of Minnesota, even if they are out-of-state.

“Even if we are not next, the federal government is breaking the law. It is defying the Constitution,” Neumann said.

This story was originally produced by Minnesota Reformer, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Michigan Advance, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.