An Update from Mayor Dave Ostwald

Published on January 30, 2026

At the January 26 City Council Meeting, many of our residents spoke at the Open Forum to share their experiences of fear, trauma and disruption to daily life due to heightened federal immigration enforcement operations in our community.

Thank you to everyone who shared comments and concerns. We took all of your testimonies and summarized them to evaluate next steps to support our community. Many of the actions requested by residents fall outside of the City's jurisdiction, but I can communicate them on our community’s behalf to those with the appropriate authority.

I sent an letter to our state and federal representatives on January 29, 2026 to demand a meeting with our City Council to address the crisis unfolding in our community. Your testimony summary is included so these officials can read your first-hand experiences and review the demands these representatives have the power to act on.

To everyone in Fridley, I want to reiterate: You are a valued member of this community. Your value is not dependent on how long you have lived here, where you were born or your immigration status. The City of Fridley is here to serve you.

Dave Ostwald, City of Fridley Mayor

Read the letter and testimony summary(PDF, 151KB)