ICE surge gives Minnesota businesses COVID flashbacks

• But unlike during the pandemic, Christensen doesn't expect federal government bailout money will be available to help her translation business weather the storm.

The big picture: The Minnesota CDFI Coalition's Carl Swanson said some businesses face conditions "as bad, if not worse, than COVID," with some businesses within days or weeks of closure or loan defaults.

• "There is not a safety net right now. There is not a government program that is coming in to support us, like PPP," he said.

Zoom in: Christensen's company, INGCO International, contracts with around 2,000 interpreters to work anywhere from corporate settings to schools and hospitals.

• Almost all of her interpreters are immigrants — all authorized to work in the U.S. — but many "are afraid for their lives to go out into the field … so we can't fill jobs. People won't go," she told Axios.
• Before "Operation Metro Surge," INGCO had virtually no problems filling translation requests. Now, 25% of in-person jobs go unfilled — affecting the livelihoods of the interpreters and Christensen's 12 full-time employees.

What they're saying: During COVID, "I never thought that I was going to get a PPP loan," Christensen recalled. "The day that that money showed up on my bank account, I almost fell over."

• This time, "I'm not gonna hold my breath" for a government intervention — at least not from the feds, she said. "The state has a huge responsibility to help out small businesses."

What we're watching: Earlier this week, Gov. Tim Walz said he plans to pitch a small business relief plan to state lawmakers when they get back to work next week. He has scheduled a press conference for later today.

Reality check: The package could face an uphill climb in a closely divided Legislature — and even if it were approved, it likely wouldn't come close to the more than $16 billion the federal PPP pumped into Minnesota.