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The immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities has prompted discussions well beyond the borders of the metro area, reaching communities across greater Minnesota. 

In Bemidji, Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson is one of many Minnesotans who have taken to social media to express their views on the immigration crackdown.  

As a self-described lifelong conservative, some of Hanson’s recent posts on 

 have gone in surprising directions. Born and raised in Bemidji, Hanson said he’s been a conservative pretty much all his life.  

"I believe in small government. I believe in responsible spending,” he said. “However, on the liberal side or the libertarian side, for the morals, I don't care what you do with yourself as an individual, as long as it doesn't affect my ability to do the same. That's what liberty is."

Hanson has been the head of the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office since 2018. His office is responsible for prosecuting all criminal offenses within the county.

When it comes to immigration, Hanson said he has long supported what he calls “cohesive, smart immigration enforcement,” like securing the southern border and deporting people who break the law. He said border issues ultimately affect his work as a county attorney.

"Most of the criminal cases we deal with here at the county stem one way, shape or another, from drugs — whether it's actual drug possession or if it's chemical dependency, abuse or stealing to support a habit or assaults because people are high, etc.,” he said. “Most of the drugs that are in this community come from not this community. We don't produce any drugs here. Most of them come from Mexico. Some from China, too — the fentanyl."

On social media, Hansen didn’t generally share much. But that started to change just before the start of the new year, when he wrote a long meditation about planning to explore his interests more publicly through posts. It included the sentence: “At the end of the day being genuine matters.”

So, he started posting more — about himself and about politics. And it went in some interesting directions. First, there was a clip of him relearning to play guitar using Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” as a baseline for his eventual progress.

Then came a post of Maya Angelou’s poem, “Human Family,” about shared humanity with verses including the lines: “I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” 

But the tone shifted abruptly when “Operation Metro Surge” kicked into high gear.

"It's hard to actually want to put out anything artistic or anything philosophic, while there's a conversation happening on whether or not our liberty is at danger," Hanson told MPR News.

To the surprise of many, on social media Hanson started condemning what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was doing, calling it an “embarrassment.”

On Jan. 16 he posted: "Tear-gassing a car full of kids (with an infant inside, no less) is bad police work. Breaking into a home without a warrant is bad police work. Arresting observers who are not obstructing is bad police work," followed by news links to stories.

Hanson said he keeps a pocket-sized version of the Constitution with him at all times, tucked inside his work coat. He noted the Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures.

"That doesn't matter what your immigration status is. That matters that you are a human being in the United States of America,” he said.

Hanson’s gotten all manner of responses to these posts. Some thank him for speaking up. One woman wrote, “I encourage you to be stronger with your objections. I know it is scary to do so, but we support you.”

Others have condemned his posts, with someone writing, “For a lawyer you are one dumb mother (expletive).”

On Feb. 2, Hanson responded to his Facebook critics: "I have been called names recently, I have been defamed and I have probably lost friends for merely sharing my thoughts. To those who disagree with my sentiments, to those who would slander and defame, my only retort is that I love you as a fellow man, and I treasure your ability to disagree with me."

Regardless of how people respond, Hanson said he’s going to keep sharing his opinion. And he said he's going to stay true to his conservative beliefs. One of which is for the government not to overspend. But he said that may be impossible in the near future because of ICE’s actions.

“The lawsuits that are going to end up being paid out on the backside for all those civil rights violations are going to be astronomical,” he said. “And as a person who is concerned for the good use of taxpayer funds, I think this is going to be a mistake.”

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Immigration enforcement in Minnesota

Mathew Holding Eagle III

Author

Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson is one of many Minnesotans who have taken to social media to express their views on the immigration crackdown.

In Bemidji, lifelong conservative county attorney surprises with social media posts about ICE

Photo portrait of a man in a suit standing next to a bookshelf.

Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Close-up of a man pulling a pamphlet out of his breast pocket.

In Bemidji, lifelong conservative county attorney surprises with social media posts about ICE

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