FORM MB-AD-MINN: Statement of the State of Minnesota on Adoption Proceedings

STATE OF MINNESOTA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

STATEMENT ON PROPOSED ADOPTION BY THE PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

Filed in Response to Adoption Application 2026-MNITOBA-001

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

The State of Minnesota submits this statement regarding the Province of Manitoba's adoption application. We write this in a moment of profound difficulty for our state and our people.

When Manitoba first proposed this adoption, it felt like a friendly joke between neighbours—the kind of thing you'd laugh about over a beer at a border town bar. "What if we just... joined up? We're basically the same anyway."

It doesn't feel like a joke anymore.

PART A: THE SITUATION

We need to be honest about what's happening here:

1. Our communities are afraid. People who have lived here for decades, raised families here, built businesses here, are afraid to go to work. Afraid to answer the door. Afraid to drive their children to school.
2. Families have been torn apart. Parents taken from children. Spouses separated. Communities that trusted each other now live in fear.
3. People have died. We cannot write a government document without acknowledging that people have died. Our neighbours. Our community members. Gone.
4. The Minnesota we knew—"Minnesota Nice," the state that welcomed refugees, the state that believed in community—feels like it's slipping away. Not because Minnesotans changed, but because forces beyond our control have changed what it means to live here.

PART B: WHAT MINNESOTANS WANT

We cannot speak for all 5.7 million Minnesotans. Our state, like any state, contains multitudes. But we can share what we're hearing:

Some Minnesotans say:

• "I love my country and would never leave, no matter what."
• "This will pass. We need to fix America, not abandon it."
• "Running away doesn't solve anything."

Other Minnesotans say:

• "My family can't wait for this to pass. We need safety now."
• "I've lived here 30 years and suddenly I'm not welcome in my own home."
• "If Manitoba is offering a place where my kids don't have to be afraid, I want to hear more."

Many Minnesotans say:

• "I don't know what I want. I just want this fear to stop."
• "I want to feel like my neighbours are safe."
• "I want to recognize my home again."

PART C: WHAT DRAWS US TO THIS PROPOSAL

We will not pretend the proposal isn't appealing. Here's what Manitoba offers that we currently lack:

PART D: WHAT HOLDS US BACK

We must also be honest about hesitations:

1. This is our home. Minnesota isn't just a political jurisdiction. It's where we buried our grandparents and where our children were born. Leaving—even to somewhere as similar as Manitoba—means leaving home.
2. We don't want to abandon the fight. Many Minnesotans believe we should stay and work to change things. Leaving feels like giving up.
3. Practical concerns. Jobs, property, family connections south of the border, established lives—these don't transfer easily.
4. Uncertainty. Would Canada really welcome us? Would we fit? Would our new home feel like home?

PART E: OUR POSITION

The State of Minnesota cannot consent to adoption on behalf of all its residents. That's not how this works—not really. Each Minnesotan has their own answer to give.

But we can say this:

We are grateful.

Grateful that Manitoba sees us. Grateful that someone across the border cares. Grateful that the offer exists, even if we don't know yet what to do with it.

In a time when many Minnesotans feel abandoned—by their federal government, by a system that was supposed to protect them—Manitoba's hand extended across the border means something. It means we're not alone. It means someone thinks we're worth caring about.

That matters. That matters more than we can say.

PART F: CONCLUSION

We neither accept nor reject Manitoba's proposal at this time. Instead, we acknowledge it with open hearts and heavy ones.

To Manitoba: Thank you. Thank you for seeing us. Thank you for caring. Thank you for keeping the door open.

To Minnesotans: Whatever you're feeling right now—fear, hope, anger, confusion, grief—it's valid. This is hard. We're in this together, whatever "this" becomes.

To those we've lost: We remember you. We mourn you. You deserved better.

SUBMITTED on behalf of the State of Minnesota, this _____ day of __________, 20____.

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STATE OF MINNESOTA
Office of the Governor
"L'Étoile du Nord" — The Star of the North
(A star that Manitoba can also see from where they stand)