Senate Must Reject DHS Funding Bill
As Violent Escalation in Minnesota Threatens Small Businesses and Civil Society
Washington, DC—Main Street Action stands with Minnesota’s small business owners and working families as federal enforcement operations in the state escalate in ways that are destabilizing local economies, undermining civil liberties, and placing entire communities under extraordinary strain.
The killing of Alex Pretti near businesses owned and operated by Main Street Action members is a devastating turning point. This violent escalation makes clear that DHS and ICE operations in Minnesota cannot continue as they are. When federal actions lead to lethal force in the middle of commercial corridors and neighborhood business districts, it signals a breakdown in the basic conditions that allow communities and small businesses to function.
Small business owners depend on stability, trust, and the rule of law. What is unfolding in Minnesota threatens all three.
As the U.S. Senate considers the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill, Main Street Action urges senators to reject any funding package that allows current enforcement practices to continue unchecked.
Congress should not authorize billions of dollars for operations that are placing neighborhoods into a state of fear, uncertainty, and suspended civil norms.
“When federal enforcement escalates to the point where people are killed near local businesses, civil liberties are strained, and entire neighborhoods feel under occupation, Main Street cannot survive,” said Richard Trent, Executive Director of Main Street Action. “In that environment, democracy withers, businesses close, and people no longer recognize their own communities.”
Main Street Action is calling on the U.S. Senate to:
Reject the DHS Appropriations bill as written unless it includes meaningful limits, oversight, and accountability to prevent violent and destabilizing enforcement tactics.
Condition any DHS funding on clear protections for bystanders, workers, and community members so that business districts are not turned into zones of fear and confrontation.
Require transparency and independent investigation when federal enforcement actions result in loss of life, particularly in neighborhood commercial areas
For small business owners, this is not an ideological debate. It is about whether customers feel safe walking into stores, whether employees feel safe coming to work, and whether communities retain the basic trust that makes local commerce possible.
An economy cannot function when civil liberties are effectively suspended, when lethal force becomes normalized in neighborhood corridors, and when fear replaces the everyday rhythms of work, shopping, and community life.
Minnesota’s small businesses are community anchors. They thrive in a climate of safety, accountability, and democratic norms. Congress should not fund federal operations that are pushing communities toward chaos, driving closures, and hollowing out Main Street.
Main Street Action urges the Senate to block the DHS funding bill as written and demand reforms that protect civil liberties, community stability, and the small businesses that depend on both.
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