>> Eric: WHEN WE PLANNED TO INVITE ST.

PAUL'S NEW MAYOR TO JOIN US NEAR THE BEGINNING OF 2026, WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HER FIRST WEEKS ON THE JOB WOULD LOOK LIKE AND I'M GUESSING SHE DIDN'T EITHER.

ST.

PAUL MAYOR KAOHLY HER WAS SWORN IN FEBRUARY -- JANUARY 2ND, LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, ENEE GOOD WAS FATALLY SHOT BY AN I.C.E.

AGENT IN MINNEAPOLIS AND AGGRESSIVE TACTICS BY I.C.E.

ARE INCREASING AROUND THE TWIN CITIES.

MAYOR, WELCOME BACK.

IF YOU HAD TIME TO MULTITASK AND GET YOUR NEW OFFICE IN ORDER?

>> WELL, THERE'S NOTHING HUNG ON THE WALLS YET BUT WE'RE GETTING THE OFFICE IN ORDER FOR THE THINGS IT NEEDS TO ADDRESS RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: WHAT A WILD FIRST TWO WEEKS.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

I WONDER, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE AN IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE.

>> MM-HMM.

>> Cathy: OBVIOUSLY.

WHAT'S THIS LIKE FOR YOU TO WATCH ALL OF THIS?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY -- IT'S VERY REAL TO ME.

AND, YOU KNOW, TO BE HONEST I'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS UNFOLD NOT JUST THIS LAST FEW WEEKS, I STARTED GOING TO IMMIGRATION CHECK-INS WITH PEOPLE WITH REMOVAL ORDERS BACK IN JUNE ALREADY.

AND SO IT'S LIKE I STARTED SEEING THIS HAPPEN AND PEOPLE WERE AFRAID BACK THEN AND IT'S ONLY AMPED UP AND RIGHT NOW PEOPLE ARE AFRAID AND TO SEE THAT FIRSTHAND AND PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY HAS BEEN HEARTBREAKING FOR ME.

>> Cathy: I HAVE A OOD FRIEND WHO IS SOUTHEAST ASIAN AND SHE SAID I'M WALKING AROUND WITH MY PASSPORT.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: ARE YOU DOING THE SAME THING?

>> I AM.

I'M WALKING AROUND WITH MY PASSPORT CARD SO I HAVE THAT WITH ME ALL THE TIME.

>> Eric: CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS TRYING TO GET CONSIDERATION OF AN EVEN TOUGHER SEPARATION ORDINANCE, AND IT DIDN'T ADVANCE IN THE COUNCIL YET.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?

AND WOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT IF THE POLICE WERE ALLOWED TO COOPERATE?

>> YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE RIGHT QUESTION.

I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING OURSELF IS DO WE HAVE A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHO WILL RESPECT ANYTHING THAT WE DO?

AND I THINK THAT IS THE PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU HAVE A LEADER AT THE TOP OF OUR COUNTRY WHO DOES NOT RESPECT LAW AND ORDER, DOES NOT RESPECT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IT, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO, WE CAN'T HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE HE REFUSES TO BE.

>> Cathy: HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO PEOPLE, SAY IN ROGTOWN OR ON THE WEST SIDE OF ST.

PAUL FOR FOLKS IN GREATER MINNESOTA, FROGTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A LARGE HMONG POPULATION, AND THE WEST END, WEST SIDE IS MEXICAN-AMERICAN, LATINO.

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS?

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?

>> I HAVE AND I ACTUALLY HAVE CONVENED CONVERSATIONS WITH A COUPLE OF ORGANIZATIONS WITH SMALL IMMIGRANT BUSINESSES FROM COMMUNITIES.

I MEAN, EVERYONE IS VERY WORRIED.

WHEN WE'RE SEEING SALES, -- ONE PARTICULAR LATINA MERCADO SAID THEIR BUSINESS IS DOWN 60%.

I VOLUNTEER PERSONALLY AT A FEW OF THEM TO HELP WITH DELIVERIES, OPENING AND CLOSING, LOCKING AND UNLOCKING DOORS FOR CUSTOMERS.

PEOPLE ARE OPERATING UNDER AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF FEAR AND WORRY RIGHT NOW.

>> Eric: HAS THE ST.

PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICT CONFERRED WITH YOU?

HOW DO YOU THINK THEY'RE DOING?

>> YES, I DID MEET WITH SUPERINTENDENT OF ST.

PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SHE AND I DID HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND PREPARING FOR WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

AND SO NEXT WEEK THEY WILL BE CLOSING, THEY WILL BE GOING TO REMOTE LEARNING FOR A FEW DAYS.

YES, WE ARE ALL AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT COORDINATING AND AVING CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH OTHER.

>> Eric: AND ARE YOU SEEING A LOT OF POLICE OVERTIME?

>> YOU KNOW, AS OF RIGHT NOW I MEAN WE'VE ACTUALLY I THINK IT HAS BEEN BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR US IN ST.

PAUL HERE AND WE HAVE HAD SOME COORDINATION WITH MINNEAPOLIS AND PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR 911 CALLS BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO MANAGE PUBLIC SAFETY IN OUR CITY AND PIEING SUPPORT WHERE WE NEED TO.

>> Cathy: WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS OFF-AIR, IT SEEMS SO LONG AGO BUT IT WAS, WHAT, IN NOVEMBER WHEN THE ST.

PAUL POLICE GOT INTO SOME PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THEIR RESPONSE TO AN I.C.E.

RAID IN ST.

PAUL.

WHERE DOES THAT WHOLE THING STAND AT THIS POINT?

WAS THERE AN INVESTIGATION?

>> YEAH, SO THERE IS AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION RIGHT NOW.

CITY COUNCIL HAS ALSO CALLED FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION.

AND THIS IS THAT SITUATION -- IS ONGOING AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.

I THINK IT LED US TO WORKING MORE CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE IMMIGRANT DEFENSE NETWORK AND HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER WHEN THERE IS PROTEST WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE LARGE GROUPS AND HOW DO WE LEVERAGE THESE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE ON THE GROUND SO THEY CAN HELP WITH THE SITUATION.

>> Eric: WHAT ABOUT AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE YOUR MAYORSHIP, HOW'S THAT WORKING?

>> YEAH, ELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT WAS THE STRUCTURE THAT I ENT WITH BECAUSE RIGHT NOW AS FIRST ASSISTANT MAYOR ERICA SCHOMACKER AND I ARE DEALING WITH ALL OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES RIGHT NOW AND PUTTING OUT THESE FIRES.

ASSISTANT MAYOR NIC STUMO-LANGER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WOUMO-LANGER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKO-LANGER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKINLANGER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING NGER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ONER AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON T AND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON THEND JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON THE L JUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON THE LINUDY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON THE LINESY PFARR ARE- WORKING ON THE LINES TPFARR ARE- WORKING ON THE LINES TO ARR ARE- WORKING ON THE LINES TO KER ARE- WORKING ON THE LINES TO KEEPARE- WORKING ON THE LINES TO KEEPARE- THE CITY MOVING FORWARD BECAUSE CRISES DON'T STOP OPERATIONS.

SO I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT HAT.

>> Cathy: GETTING READY FOR SESSION OBVIOUSLY.

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF ST.

PAUL IN TERMS OF THINGS YOU WANT?

>> LEGISLATIVE AGENDA BEFORE CITY COUNCIL I THINK IN ANOTHER WEEK AND A HALF OR SO, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK OUR CITY NEEDS.

WE'VE BEEN DOING PREWORK WITH LEGISLATORS LETTING THEM KNOW WE NEED HELP INVESTING IN