Things Left Behind

April 5th, 2026. “All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.” -Craig Childs

Apr 05, 2026

Easter at my house is in a funny in-between stage right now. My 16 year old has mostly outgrown the hunt itself, but he still loves helping hide the eggs and making it fun for his little sister. My 7 year old, meanwhile, is still fully in it... completely delighted, determined to find every last one, and convinced there is always one more if she just keeps looking. I love watching both of them, because it reminds me that Easter is not really just about the first rush into the yard. It is also about what gets missed. The eggs tucked a little too well into the grass, behind a step, under a chair, or in the one spot that seemed smart at the time. Today’s news in Minnesota felt a little like that.

Today is Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2026. Here’s what happened in Minnesota:

1. Half Already Gone: Nearly 1,700 people arrested during Operation Metro Surge this winter had already been deported by April 3, according to data analyzed by APM Reports and MPR News. The records show federal agents averaged about 49 arrests a day during the operation. Around 30 of the people arrested were 16 or younger, including one child reported to be just 2 or 3 years old. The numbers became public through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the Deportation Data Project, and by the time the records were released, many of the people behind them were already out of the country.

2. Home Raids Hit Court: Six Minnesotans sued ICE and DHS after agents allegedly entered homes without judicial warrants during recent enforcement actions in the Twin Cities. The lawsuit says officers forced or pressured their way into residences, detained people without proper legal authority, and in some cases went to the wrong homes altogether. The plaintiffs are asking a federal court to block further warrantless home entries and declare the practice unconstitutional. The case takes a broad argument about immigration enforcement and turns it into a court record built around named households, specific addresses, and what agents allegedly did once they were inside.

3. The Quiet Shift: After months of visible street level arrests in Minnesota, immigration enforcement appears to be shifting toward a less public model that leans more heavily on local law enforcement. NPR reported that the administration is expanding use of 287(g) agreements, which let local agencies take on some immigration enforcement functions. DHS officials have signaled they want ICE operating less as the public facing force and more through transfers, jail systems, and local partnerships. That does not make enforcement smaller. It moves more of it into handoffs, booking systems, and local groups that families and neighborhood observers are less likely to see in real time.

4. Hospitality Took Another Hit: A new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and Hospitality Minnesota found the winter did not just shake neighborhoods and schools. It also hit restaurants and hotels. More than half of the businesses surveyed reported lower customer traffic and lower profits, and more than half said immigration enforcement actions had hurt operations. About 30 percent said they had to temporarily close or reduce hours. Owners also pointed to labor shortages and tariff related cost pressure, but the effect of the enforcement crackdown showed up plainly in staffing, operating hours, and sales at businesses that were already operating on tight margins.

It is not all about what got missed the first time through. Here are some reasons to hope:

1. Federal Court Blocks HUD Cuts: A federal appeals court left in place an order blocking the Trump administration from sharply restricting parts of the federal housing assistance system, giving states including Minnesota more time while the case continues. Attorney General Keith Ellison said the dispute centers on changes to HUD’s Continuum of Care program, which supports permanent housing for vulnerable people. The administration had asked to move the policy forward while the legal fight played out, but the court declined. For now, the existing housing protections remain in place while the case moves ahead, which means programs serving people at risk of homelessness do not lose that support yet.

2. Water Bill Pushes Forward: Minnesota lawmakers are advancing a bill that would require major industrial water users, including data centers, to get their own permits instead of drawing under a city’s broader municipal approval. MPR reported that supporters say the current system allows very large users to avoid the level of review they would face if they had to apply directly. The proposal would give the Department of Natural Resources more authority to examine whether a project’s water use is sustainable before it moves forward. As companies keep eyeing data center growth in Minnesota, lawmakers are trying to close a permitting gap before more long term water demand gets locked in.

3. Record Graduation: Minnesota’s four year graduation rate for the class of 2025 reached 84.9 percent, the highest in state history. MPR reported that Black, Asian, and American Indian students all posted gains, and both Minneapolis and St. Paul saw notable increases among American Indian graduates. State education officials said the numbers were encouraging after years shaped by pandemic disruption and uneven recovery. At the same time, Education Commissioner Willie Jett said attendance declines tied to immigration enforcement are more recent and are not fully reflected in this data yet, which means the progress is real even as newer pressures are still building.

4. Opening Day Delivered: The Twins’ home opener ended up being longer and stranger than expected, but it also gave people something fun to hold onto. A power outage delayed the start at Target Field by nearly an hour, disrupting entry and shutting down concessions while thousands of fans stood in cold rain waiting to get inside. Then the game started, and the Twins came back to beat Tampa Bay 10 to 4. Tristan Gray, who had nearly talked himself into life after baseball this offseason, hit the first grand slam of his major league career in the seventh inning. More than 36,000 people waited out the mess and got a good one.

There were important things happening beyond Minnesota too. Here are some national stories worth knowing:

1. 100% Drug Tariffs: Trump announced a new tariff plan that could impose duties of up to 100 percent on some imported patented pharmaceuticals, opening another fight over drug prices, supply chains, and domestic manufacturing. Reuters reported that companies building domestic plants or making pricing deals with the administration could avoid the full tariff, while others could face it after a transition period. Drug companies warned the move could raise costs and disrupt investment decisions tied to specialized medications and overseas production. It adds another layer of uncertainty to a part of the economy where manufacturing timelines are long, prices are politically sensitive, and supply disruptions can hit patients fast.

2. U.S. Losses Changed The War: The Iran war looked different by Saturday after two U.S. military aircraft were brought down and the search for a missing American crew member continued. Reuters and AP reported that one crew member from a downed F-15E was rescued while another remained missing, cutting directly into claims of control and air superiority. Trump also escalated pressure on Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, tying the military conflict to a global shipping route that helps shape oil prices and supply chains. By Saturday, the war included downed U.S. aircraft, an active rescue operation, and a widening sense that the conflict had moved into a more dangerous phase.

After the Hunt

Craig Childs wrote, “All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.” At my house, the obvious eggs are found first. Then everybody assumes the hunt is over and stops looking, but that is never really how it goes. There are always a few left behind, tucked under a bush, hidden a little too well, found later than expected. Sometimes they are cracked open by the time we spot them… but even then, the shell is not useless. It can still be filled again. It can still bring joy. Sometimes the most important things are not the ones everybody saw in the first rush, but the ones still sitting there after people assume the story is over.

Maybe the good things were there all along, just waiting for us to find them.

Note from me: Happy Easter! I'll have my deep dive on Minnesota Fraud done soon, so you can be armed with the right knowledge. Thank you all again for trusting me with a few minutes of your day... I can't say enough how much all of your support has rekindled my love for writing. I hope your day goes amazing!

Sources:

Photo: Taft Obermeier

Half Already Gone
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/03/half-of-those-arrested-by-federal-agents-in-minnesota-this-winter-have-already-been-deported
Home Raids Hit Court
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/02/minnesotans-challenge-warrantless-ice-raids-in-new-lawsuit
The Quiet Shift
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/04/npr-after-minnesota-ice-surge-shift-to-quieter-enforcement
Hospitality Took Another Hit
https://www.fox9.com/news/mn-restaurants-hotels-profit-drop-immigration-enforcement-tariff-increases-april-2026
https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2026/new-year-new-challenges-for-minnesotas-hospitality-businesses
Federal Court Blocks HUD Cuts
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/04/02_HUD.asp
Water Bill Pushes Forward
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/06/minnesota-lawmakers-push-for-water-permits-for-data-centers-and-other-big-industries
Record Graduation
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/04/03/minnesota-graduation-rates-hit-record-high-in-2025
Opening Day Delivered
https://www.fox9.com/news/target-field-power-outage-twins-home-opener-dark-april-3-2026
https://www.kare11.com/article/sports/mlb/twins/power-outage-at-target-field-ahead-of-twins-home-opener/89-76f34ca6-5be4-497c-a6ad-566f649639ec
https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/tristan-grays-grand-slam-caps-big-7th-twins-defeat-rays--flm-2026-04-04/
100% Drug Tariffs
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/year-after-liberation-day-trump-sets-new-drug-tariffs-adjusts-metals-duties-2026-04-02/
U.S. Losses Changed The War
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/trump-israel-pressure-iran-ahead-deadline-search-continues-missing-us-airman-2026-04-04/
https://apnews.com/article/3a8b2d5b2cdaceb13bbb62c3f6526e71
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-allows-essential-goods-vessels-its-ports-via-hormuz-strait-tasnim-says-2026-04-04/

Sean Snow

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