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For people who study journalism and track developments in the field, there has been a growing recognition that local news is being created, found, and amplified in ways that would not have been recognizable even a few years ago—the rise of the independent newsfluencer is just the latest example. At the same time, the lens through which we see the journalism field is changing from news-desert deficit to information-ocean overabundance—we are coming to see that, rather than starving for information (even in so-called news deserts), people are awash in it, and journalists are the beacons that point the way toward verified, fact-based content. This more expansive lens shows that in many places—especially in communities without local journalists—there is another category of trusted information source: civil society organizations.
As immigration raids unfolded in Minneapolis, local news outlets like the Star Tribune and Sahan Journal sprang to action, using their networks and established sources to report the story of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their streets. Reporting has also shown that WhatsApp groups that had been dedicated to figuring out who was providing snacks at the weekend soccer game changed quickly into grassroots organizing channels. At the same time, a vast network of nonprofits, schools, and houses of worship were circulating information via their social media, websites, and newsletters, in many cases providing important supplemental details and more up-to-the-minute reporting on the movements of ICE and the countermovements of the resistance.
In short, the Twin Cities became a live test case for the latest developments in local journalism: a confluence of people-powered communication networks, civil society organizations, independent creator-influencers, and legacy outlets.
To get a sense of how civil society organizations (CSOs) produced, circulated, and amplified local news and information in the Twin Cities during this time, I analyzed the Facebook pages of dozens of nonprofits that operate there, drawing on a list from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Of the 554 CSOs listed as serving the Twin Cities (either Minneapolis or St. Paul), 475 (86 percent) have Facebook pages. I reviewed a sample of the content they posted between December 1, 2025, and February 17, looking for references to the immigration raids, as well as how often organizations posted and whether they amplified content from other organizations.
The CSOs in the Twin Cities took diverse approaches to supplying news and information during this time. I’ve devised three categories with which we might begin to analyze them: megaphone, mentor, and motivator.
The Megaphone: Focus on mission-related messaging
Some CSOs’ Facebook posts during this time period steered entirely, or almost entirely, away from the raids and protests, focusing on organization-relevant content—using the platform like a megaphone for their own activities and programming.
One example of this approach was Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities, a local chapter of a national organization that pairs mentors with underprivileged youth. Between December 1, 2025, and February 17, 2026, they posted 42 times. Three of the 42 posts (7 percent) referred to the immigration raids: one on December 8, which voiced support for the Somali community. The second was on January 8, one day after Renee Good was shot. The post simply included white text on a black background (screenshot below) that stated, in part, “We are deeply saddened by the events that took place in Minneapolis yesterday. Our thoughts are with the community as we process the weight of this together.” In the caption of the post, they included links to other local organizations that provide legal and mental health assistance, including one that publishes in Somali and Spanish.
The third was on February 13, and stated, “When the world feels heavy, the steady presence of a mentor matters more than ever,” and listed ways the organization was showing up for people: “hand-delivering free arts kids and food items,” “moving match events to our building,” and “letter-writing activity to keep littles & bigs connected.” Without ever directly mentioning immigration or the ICE presence, they nevertheless showed their support for the immigrant communities while highlighting the organization’s mission and activities.
The majority of the posts during this period promoted the organization’s activities, including “a Sports Buddies hangout filled with games, laughter, and bonding”; a Big Social + Big Meetup Brunch, and a toy drive. There were also many posts advertising an effort to recruit new mentors, and promoting the CEO’s appearance on local media.
For this category of CSOs, when current events are referenced, the language is apolitical and oblique. They’re showing support for the community but refrain from criticizing specific politicians, policies, or political parties. Their Facebook pages are used primarily for the purpose of promoting their own activities and mission, using their social feed as a megaphone for the organization’s activity.
The Mentor: Acting as a thought leader
Faith-based organizations have long been important interlocutors at the local level. Churches, mosques, and synagogues in the Twin Cities have active Facebook pages and use them to convey news and information about their ongoing daily activities as well as to respond to current events. The messaging of many during this time represents the type of civil society organization that uses social media as a mentor or thought leader.
For example, during the immigration raids, the Facebook page for the House of Hope Presbyterian Church was active, posting 53 times during that two-and-a-half-month period, 19 (36 percent) of which were about the immigration raids. Because this period included the Christmas holiday, many of the posts were about related events and messages. However, the church took a clear anti-ICE position beginning the day Good was shot, posting on January 7, “We grieve alongside our neighbors and acknowledge the sorrow, outrage, and numbness this violence brings. Prayer looks different for each of us, and we encourage you to engage in the practices that feel most supportive right now. Our clergy also invite you to pray with others, in community. Some ways to do that today include…”
Subsequent messages had a similar tone. On January 22, the church wrote, “Scripture speaks ceaselessly against the marginalization and dehumanization of people, especially those most at risk. The prophet Isaiah calls us ‘to loose the bonds of injustice.’ Micah challenges us ‘to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with God.’ Jesus Christ tells his followers, ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.’ Every day, we are invited into this faith, this trust in God’s unconditional love.” Reporting during this time documented similar activity by numerous faith leaders across the city.
Posts were clearly in support of immigrants and against the immigration raids, yet they rarely called out President Trump or other administration individuals explicitly. They used their local information channels to both advertise their own activities as well as support resistance activities. Their communications strategy was to act more like a mentor than a megaphone.
The Motivator: Encouraging action and building coalitions
Finally, there were some organizations that engaged deeply and explicitly with the immigration raids and protests, using their social media to repost from other organizations, support their activities, and call for unified action.
One example is an organization called the Alliance, which describes itself as “a coalition of community-based organizations and advocacy groups with a mission to build power across the intersections of geography, race, culture, and issues in the Twin Cities region.” Beginning on December 3, they posted and reposted with explicitly pro-resistance and/or anti-ICE messages. Of 24 total posts during this time, 20 (83 percent) were about resistance to the immigration raids.
For example, the caption for a December 10 post begins, “At the Alliance, we have the honor and privilege of organizing with Somali community leaders and immigrants from across the globe who have chosen to make Minnesota home. We condemn the hateful rhetoric targeting Somali Minnesotans and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against immigrants, refugees, and US citizens targeted by ICE.” The post goes on to list ways to get involved and provides links to other local organizations that support immigrants and are organizing resistance activities; the accompanying image is an illustration of two women in headscarves with their fists in the air, with the flag of Somalia in the background.
On January 23, the Alliance reposted an article from an organization called Streets.mn, a nonprofit community blog that publishes articles about land use and transportation issues. The article focused on the impacts of the ICE presence on the business districts in Somali and Hispanic parts of town, detailing the closed stores and empty streets and discussing the likely impacts. This act of sharing an article from a niche publication shows how local nonprofits can amplify news content.
Organizations like the Alliance, which are overtly political and proactively create and amplify advocacy content, use their Facebook pages as a way of engaging with like-minded organizations and community members, motivating action and collaboration. In this sense, they act more like a motivator than a megaphone or a mentor.
This quick sketch of civil society organizations’ grassroots communication shows the range of postures they take in their engagement styles. It’s important to note that I did not look at the social media of all 554 CSOs, and that while all of the organizations I looked at were anti-ICE, it’s possible that some supported the immigration raids.
It is increasingly clear that the definition of “what counts” as local news is expanding. New frameworks account for the contribution of ground-level civil society organizations (CSOs) that interact with people nearly every day, often have the community’s trust, and have their own robust means of regular communication with that community. As a participant in a recent listening session hosted by Impact Architects in Vermont stated, “A lot of valuable local knowledge about housing, health, education, even civic opportunities, circulates outside of traditional media. If local outlets could build bridges to those informal networks, information would [be] more inclusive.” The possibilities for collaboration are endless.
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