Over 3,000 Minnesota educators impacted by Operation Metro Surge, survey shows

Survey findings released on Monday show over 3,000 educators in Minnesota said they were directly or indirectly impacted by Operation Metro Surge, according to the union Education Minnesota.

The assessment, conducted by Voss Research and Strategy, asked 4,460 members of the union about their experiences during the operation, which involved an influx of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol in the state between December 2025 and early 2026. 

The union said 72% of the educators (3,211) who took the survey reported being affected by the surge, 68% reported students absent from class, 67% saw increased fear or anxiety among students and 37% said staff members were fearful or unable to come to work. 

"You cannot teach children who are terrified," Monica Byron, president of Education Minnesota, said in response to the survey. "You cannot reach students who are absent."

Byron added that it's too soon to predict the impacts of the raid on test scores, but that research "consistently shows that chronic absenteeism, elevated anxiety, and disrupted learning time are strong predictors of lower academic performance."

In June, the international watchdog group Human Rights Watch released a report on the operation, calling for federal leaders to be investigated for creating a "human rights crisis," and urging local leaders to step up support for people affected.