ST. CLOUD — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison did not hold back his opinions of President Donald Trump's policies during a Saturday, March 29, event at Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud.
“Your Attorney General's Office is here to stand up for Minnesota,” Ellison told a crowd of about 250 people. “The reason that I have had to sue Donald Trump isn't for partisan reasons. It is because he's doing things that are illegal.”
Ellison's visit to St. Cloud Saturday was part of his "Protecting Minnesota Community Forums" series. The lawyer and former DFL congressman's website said the community forums were "to discuss his work to protect the rights and freedoms of the people of Minnesota."
He was welcomed Saturday by Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud; the Rev. James Alberts, pastor at Higher Works Collaborative in St. Cloud, and the Rev. Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt of Salem Lutheran Church. Fey Y Justicia Executive Director Ma Elena Gutierrez also spoke. Fey Y Justicia is a Waite Park-based, Latinx-led nonprofit that helped organize the forum.
The mostly friendly crowd in the sanctuary had questions and concerns about immigration and refugees. Ellison said his office would do what it could but that immigration is one of the issues states have the least influence over.
“Let's not be afraid. Let's be concerned. Fear is an immobilizing thing. Concern is an action-oriented thing,” Ellison said. “So this moment, more than any other … requires courage. And let’s be honest, in our daily lives, great courage is not often required, but it is now. Standing up for basics like the rule of law is so critical.”
The biggest cheer of the day went to an audience member who asked Ellison to secure a judgment to get the Trump campaign to pay its outstanding bill of $209,000 plus interest to the city of St. Cloud for expenses related to his campaign stop last summer.
“We’ll look into it,” Ellison said.
Ellison detailed the work that he and attorneys general in other states have been doing to push back against actions by the Trump administration. That includes actions on birthright citizenship, the freezing of federal funds, the Department of Government Efficiency and mass firings of federal employees, among others.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I don't need to wake up in the morning and sue Trump … but he's driving this, not me," Ellison said. Ellison encouraged the crowd to contact the AG’s office with personal stories, which help build up a record for his office to file a lawsuit, he said.
He said that temporary restraining orders and injunctions have been successfully secured against some Trump administration actions.
“Going to court and fighting them in court works,” Ellison said.
More than a dozen people lined up to offer stories and questions, talking about voting rights, reproductive rights, support for people with disabilities, free speech, Jan. 6, veterans, Social Security and more. The speakers came from a wide variety of groups, including retired veterans, immigrants, international students, longtime residents, advocates and more.
There were some tears as people related their own situations to the crowd. A few participants spoke as natives of other countries, including Nicaragua and South Africa, who grew up under undemocratic regimes.
Ellison shared what he learned from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a Somali refugee who now represents the state in Congress.
“It doesn’t take that long to lose your democracy,” Ellison said. “We are the guarantor of American democracy.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Trump administration is pushing division, Ellison said.
“It’s all divide and conquer stuff,” Ellison said. “The best weapon is human solidarity. … We've gotta embrace the things that we share and then value the things that might be a little different."
He said the most important thing he’s learned as a politician is that emotions are contagious.
“Being enthusiastic and optimistic is contagious. But also, being a downer is contagious,” Ellison said. “So the leaders mind your mood because people are watching you."
More information
- For more about the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, visit ag.state.mn.us.
- For more about Fe Y Justicia, visit feyjusticiamn.com.
The Trust Project
