800,000 Minnesota workers are at high risk of exposure to generative AI.
AI is rapidly reshaping workplaces but Minnesota lawmakers have yet to pass any AI regulations or worker protections.
Our Research Director outlined the paths for moving forward on WCCO:
www.youtube.com/shorts/lsCLK...
$106 million.
That’s how much workers in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area lost in wages during Operation Metro Surge according to our new research at North Star Policy Action.
This week, Planet Money’s The Indicator broke down our findings.
Listen to the clip:
youtube.com/source/UbdcS...
Yesterday on Fox 9, our Research Director @aaronrosenthal.bsky.social, broke down what MN lawmakers can do to regulate AI and protect workers.
1 in 3 MN workers face high exposure to Generative AI yet Minnesota has not passed laws governing AI’s use in the workplace. m.youtube.com/shorts/TXUyB...
This is such important work, and practically in real time, which is very important. Also, shows economists can apply our skills to aid the resistance!
New research with @aaronsojourner.org of the @upjohninstitute.bsky.social posted on @northstarpolicy.org's blog. We find that Operation Metro Surge caused declines in employees working, hours worked, and businesses open, leading to an estimated $106 million wage loss for Twin Cities workers.
The situation echoes the economic ripple effects we saw during the pandemic, but unlike then, federal action is what caused this disruption.
Read the full report: northstarpolicy.org/labor-outcom...
Our new analysis shows that from January 3 to February 17, the Twin Cities metro saw sharp economic declines:
• Employment declined by 2.8%
• Total hours worked dropped 1.9%
• Operating business locations fell 1.7%
BREAKING: In just six weeks, Minnesota workers lost over $100 million in wages due to Operation Metro Surge.
This means millions of dollars didn’t make it to Minnesota families and small businesses, a conservative estimate that likely understates the full impact.
Our new report makes three things clear:
1. AI plays an increasingly large role in MN workers' lives.
2. Workers are anxious about this role and believe new regulations are needed.
3. MN policymakers need to pass commonsense laws to align AI innovation with worker welfare.
Innovation and technology can’t come at the expense of working people. Read the full report: northstarpolicy.org/generative-ai/
Despite accelerating adoption of generative Ai and rising worker anxiety, Minnesota has passed no laws governing AI’s use in the workplace.
At the same time, federal actions have sought to limit states’ ability to regulate AI.
The impacts aren’t evenly distributed.
Women and workers in low-union occupations face greater GenAI exposure.
Using a methodology that accounts for tools like ChatGPT, researchers identified Minnesota jobs where GenAI could complete more than half of a worker’s tasks — classified as High GenAI Exposure.
Minnesota ranks:
• Highest in the Midwest
• 10th-highest nationally
NEW REPORT: Rapid AI expansion is outpacing worker protections in Minnesota.
The human toll of federal immigration enforcement has been tragic and terrifying.
The economic harm we’ve already seen is devastating.
Without government action to repair harm caused by government action, the ripple effects will snowball.
The damage compounds:
• Missed paychecks reduce consumer spending.
• Child care disruptions prevent parents from working.
• Housing construction declines worsen affordability.
• Food processing slowdowns affect Minnesota farmers.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates deportation goals could cost Minnesota 7,000 direct care jobs — 12% of that workforce.
These jobs aren’t backfilled.
They’re lost.
And nearly every Minnesotan relies on direct care at some point in their lives.
Immigrants make up 1 in 12 Minnesota residents but nearly 1 in 9 workers statewide.
They play essential roles in:
Health care.
Child care.
Construction.
Food production.
Manufacturing.
When disruption hits immigrant workers, it hits the entire economy.
Yesterday, at the Minnesota House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee, our Executive Director testified on the ongoing ripple effects of federal immigration enforcement on Minnesota’s economy.
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These impacts signal areas where policymakers should focus recovery efforts by supporting schools, small businesses, health systems, and industries reliant on immigrant workers.
We’re especially concerned about the long-term impact of:
• School closures & widening education disparities
• Lost wages & shuttered small businesses
• Lasting strain on industries that rely on Minnesota’s immigrant workforce
• Increased health care costs due to forgoing routine care
Our research found that recent immigration enforcement cost taxpayers at least $18 million per week, alongside major economic slowdowns as small businesses and immigrant-driven industries like construction and child care struggled while workers stayed home out of fear of ICE.
Operation Metro Surge may be ending but the long-term human and economic impacts are still unfolding. Federal officials have announced that immigration enforcement in Minnesota will draw down, but ICE activity remains in the state and it’s not yet clear how conditions on the ground are changing.
The @prospect.org just released new reporting citing our analysis on Operation Metro Surge.
Toplines:
• $18M/week in taxpayer costs
• $80M/week in lost economic activity
• Long-term damage to schools, healthcare, and housing
•MN corporations need to be held accountable
prospect.org/2026/01/28/m...
Yes, one underreported part of this is the economic loss for cities as the result of federal occupation. Talked to some great folks at North Star Policy Action about that, who said, "It’s an economic and social dead zone. It’s worse than the pandemic." prospect.org/2026/01/28/m...
Things we could do in MN with the $18 million a week it costs taxpayers to fund Operation Metro Surge:
- Provide Medicaid coverage for 5,000 Minnesota children
- Fund a full week of SNAP benefits for every eligible Minnesotan
- Cover the annual salaries of 225 school mental health professionals
TLDR: Taxpayers are spending millions of dollars every week to fund federal tactics that are brutalizing the public, keeping people home, shuttering businesses, and slowing the economy. Read the full report: northstarpolicy.org/metro-surge-...
On top of the hefty price tag, escalated ICE enforcement is suppressing economic activity.
Residents report fear and uncertainty and are limiting work, school, shopping, and community participation. Many businesses have closed or reduced hours as foot traffic & consumer activity decline.
