Twin Cities mayors say they won't aid any mass deportation efforts

President Trump announced a two-week delay to a mass deportation raids originally set to begin Sunday.

The plans target undocumented immigrants with removal orders. In the Twin Cities, leaders on both sides of the river say if they do happen, they will not cooperate.

The president argues his plans target those who've ignored court orders to leave the country. In announcing the delay, he gave Democrats two weeks to submit changes to the asylum law they have long opposed.

Otherwise, the plan to sweep immigrant communities in 10 major cities could soon be back on.

"It looks like reality TV to me," said John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota.

Gordon believes the president's deportation plan, aimed at undocumented families, is less about security than it is about using human beings as political leverage.

"'Well, if the Democrats behave' - that’s in effect what he’s saying - 'then I won’t punish and imprison and degrade people who are in this country,'" said Gordon.

"We’re standing up for our immigrant community, 100 percent," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Frey promised the city will not participate or cooperate in any such ICE activity.

"We have a separation ordinance right now at the city which says our cops and our public officials are not to share any information and, additionally, we’re not to ask the question as to whether or not the individual is documented or not," Mayor Frey adds.

"It just means that Minneapolis will do its job, and let federal authorities do their job," said Kara Lynum, an immigration attorney.

Lynum says the delayed deportation plan seems to target recent entrants from Central America who have removal orders.

"For a lot of folks what happens is they just never got the notice in the mail for a court date and the judge orders them deported because they weren’t at their court date that they didn’t know about," explains Lynum. "So I’m hopeful for the people in that situation this gives this time to talk to an attorney and get them fixed."

Gordon stresses even undocumented immigrants have some level of protection. "Everybody has rights in this country, regardless of how you got here and who you are."

We did reach out to the Minnesota GOP for comment. So far, no word back. Meanwhile, Lynum says if any immigration agent wants to come into your home, they have to have a warrant signed by a judge and you can assert your right to speak to an attorney.

According to recent reports, the Twin Cities weren't among the 10 cities targeted in the president's plan.