People of Twin Cities awarded JFK Profile in Courage Award over resistance to ICE surge
The people of Minneapolis-St. Paul are being honored with a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for their response to the federal immigration enforcement operation this winter, the JFK Library Foundation announced Wednesday.
The award recognizes residents who risked their lives to protect neighbors and immigrant community members during what the Department of Homeland Security described as the largest federal immigration enforcement action in U.S. history, according to the foundation.
Starting in late 2025, more than 3,000 federal agents from ICE and U.S. Border Patrol were deployed to the Twin Cities metro area.
The foundation highlighted that tens of thousands of residents took to the streets to peacefully protest federal overreach and threats to immigrant families and constitutional protections. Others documented enforcement activity and alerted neighbors to federal agents' presence, including two who were killed by enforcement agents: Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Faith leaders organized demonstrations, community groups built rapid-response networks, labor leaders and small businesses defended workers, and volunteers provided critical support and resources, the foundation added.
"Without public servants of integrity committed to maintaining the highest standards of institutional excellence and independence like Chair Powell, and citizens willing to put their lives on the line to hold America to its promises, our democracy can't survive," said Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg in a statement.
A broad coalition of residents of the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs united in peaceful resistance despite violent confrontation and real personal risk, the foundation lauded.
The foundation also announced it will honor Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for protecting the independence of the Federal Reserve despite years of personal attacks and threats from the highest levels of government.
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Awards are presented annually. Kennedy and Schlossberg will present the awards on May 31, 2026 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
