Operation Metro Surge Impacts

More than 400,000 immigrants call the Twin Cities region home, adding cultural vibrancy and making essential contributions to our economy. Operation Metro Surge caused significant harm to many across the region, but particularly immigrants and the small businesses that serve them.

Drawing on quantitative and qualitative research, this project examines the economic, workforce, and community conditions shaping small business success, particularly during and after Operation Metro Surge. By documenting the impacts of revenue loss, workforce disruption, and changing customer behavior, this research provides insights to help local governments strengthen workforce development, support small business growth, and build a safer, more resilient regional economy.

About the study

Community development researchers visit conduct onsite semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations with businesses every 4-6 weeks. The topics discussed with businesses include:

• Current business conditions
• Experiences during Metro Surge
• Roles in their community
• Access to relief funds
• Overall advice to policy makers

Study areas

Eight two-block areas were selected to be representative of commercial areas with customer-serving, locally owned small businesses that were known to be heavily impacted by Operation Metro Surge. Participating business types include care services, grocery, personal services, professional services, restaurant, retail, tobacco and liquor stores, and a variety of other types.

• Immediate economic losses - Operation Metro Surge triggered an immediate, drastic loss of revenue. Revenue losses forced businesses to reduce staff and adapt operations.
• Social and emotional strain - Fear, hypervigilance, and ongoing economic instability reshaped daily business operations and customer behavior, creating significant emotional strain.
• Community response - Small businesses were essential sites of mutual aid and providers of community protection during Operation Metro Surge.
• Collective care - Businesses felt gratitude for neighbors who patrolled, spent money, delivered food, and distributed safety information.

• The mental health impacts experienced by business owners, employees, and customers have persisted and continue to hinder the region’s resilience and recovery.

• Customers still don’t have money to spend.

• A large geographic area within the Twin Cities region experienced harm from Operation Metro Surge. However, only businesses in Minneapolis and Saint Paul reported receiving financial or technical assistance; suburban businesses in the study fell completely outside of recovery efforts.
• Each impacted business creates a ripple effect of reduced spending through reduced business-to-business (B2B) spending and staff layoffs.

• Future population growth in the region will increasingly depend on international immigration.
• The region’s economic growth will stall without international immigrants entering the workforce.
• Immigrant labor is an integral part of the workforce in all industries.
• Immigrant workers support the regional economy by doing essential, everyday work.
• Immigrants contribute to the regional economy as entrepreneurs.
• Immigrants pay taxes, supporting essential public services across the region.
• Immigrants are not just part of our community—they help sustain the region’s economy.