Residents detained by federal agents and the son of a slain state lawmaker are among the guests the Minnesota delegation is bringing to President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C.
The speech will mark Mr. Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second term. The president addressed a joint session of Congress last March, but it was not considered a formal State of the Union address.
Here’s a look at some of the Minnesota Congressional delegation’s guests:
Melissa Hortman’s son attends
Colin Hortman, the son of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, will attend with Rep. Kelly Morrison. Rep. Betty McCollum is bringing Colin Hortman’s wife, Alina Bachman Hortman.
Melissa and her husband Mark Hortman were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home last June in what prosecutors called a politically motivated attack.
After their deaths, their children Colin and Sophie Hortman said their parents “touched so many lives” and “leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s guests highlight ICE impact in Minnesota
Omar is bringing four people who she says “reflect how ICE’s reckless actions in Minnesota through ‘Operation Metro Surge’ have devastated Minnesotans’ safety and economic security.”
Aliya Rahman was driving to a doctor’s appointment when she was dragged out of her car and detained by federal agents in an encounter that went viral. She can be heard on video telling the ICE officers that she has a disability. Rahman recently testified before lawmakers on Capitol Hill, saying she can no longer lift her arms normally. She also described what she called “horrific” conditions at the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis.
Mary Granlund is chair of the Columbia Heights Public School Board. The district received national attention after 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father were detained by federal agents outside their home near Valley View Elementary School.
Mubashir Hussen is a 20-year-old U.S. citizen who said he was violently detained by federal agents during his lunch break in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. He is among those suing the Trump administration for allegedly racially profiling him and making arrests without warrants.
Gerardo Orozco Guzman works with a center that has been organizing against ICE’s detention of construction workers from job sites. His father was detained in early January and is currently being held at Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico.
Rep. Pete Stauber brings Nick Shirley
Stauber, who represents a large swath of northern Minnesota, says he is bringing conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley to the State of the Union.
Shirley and David Hoch, who will also be attending Mr. Trump’s address, made a viral video in December that accused — often without evidence — a dozen Somali-owned day care centers of fraud.
After the video was published, the Trump administration sent as many as 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota with the stated goal of cracking down on fraud and undocumented immigration. Since border czar Tom Homan declared that the surge was winding down, federal officials have not provided updates on the issue of day care fraud.
Sen. Tina Smith boycotts address
Smith announced she is boycotting Mr. Trump’s address.
According to a news release, she’ll be at the National Mall alongside Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis for an event called the People’s State of the Union.
“Brenda is an incredible example of how Minnesotans have organized and cared for their neighbors in the face of a violent federal police force,” Smith said in a written statement. “It’s people like Brenda who have inspired the world with their bravery and dignity in standing up to bullies.”
Lewis said she’s looking forward to speaking about the “unacceptable reality” her district has “endured at the hands” of ICE.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Mr. Trump’s Tuesday night address, according to party leaders in Congress. Spanberger was elected in November as the state’s first female governor.
Other guests Minnesota lawmakers are bringing to the State of the Union include Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany, Sean Syverson, a business owner who says he has been impacted by the Trump administration’s tariffs and Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing.
Kaia Hubbard
contributed to this report.
More from CBS News
