Published
2026-06-16
Section
Community Voices
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Copyright (c) 2026 Angelica Walton
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All work in IJPS is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Copyright of content published in IJPS belongs to the author(s).
How to Cite
Cultural Transformation in Minnesota: Partnership and Domination During the Surge of ICE
Angelica Walton
Nursing
Teddie M Potter
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, School of Nursing
Jonee Kulman Brigham
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Stephanie D Gingerich
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, School of Nursing
Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, School of Nursing
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/ijps.v13i1.7606
Keywords: Cultural Transformation Theory, Partnership Systems, Mutual Aid Networks, Operation Metro Surge, Collective Resilience
Abstract
In December 2025, Minnesota experienced "Operation Metro Surge," a massive federal immigration enforcement action that profoundly disrupted the state’s social fabric. This period of significant disequilibrium served as a flashpoint between two competing social configurations: the "domination" model of militarized enforcement and the "partnership" model of community resilience. This paper applies Riane Eisler’s Cultural Transformation Theory and bell hooks’ relational ethics to analyze the systemic and intimate impacts of the surge. It seeks to name patterns of domination to make them visible and to document the counter-narratives of partnership that emerged in response. We explore the "Minnesota Model" of collectivism, a "Love Your Neighbor" praxis that activated deep-seated mutual aid networks. This radical collectivism transformed ordinary neighborhoods into "Frontiers" of protection, where residents mobilized beyond charity toward true solidarity. Through coordinated rent-relief hubs, sanctuary school teams, and neighborhood rapid-alert systems, Minnesotans demonstrated a partnership configuration that treats the safety of the immigrant neighbor as inseparable from the safety of the whole. Cultural transformation is a choice. By documenting these lived experiences, a model of partnership that centers human dignity, environmental stewardship, and relational accountability can be actualized, even in contexts of militarized pressure.
