After tumultuous years, Healing Minnesota aims to jumpstart residents’ recovery

Mahry Torres-Castillo still chokes up when she recalls her community’s experience during Operation Metro Surge, targeted by federal agents and forced into hiding. 

“Our collective strength and our resiliency was really put to the test,” said Torres-Castillo, co-founder of Por el Amor a los Nuestros, offering mental health support for Spanish-speaking immigrant families in the Twin Cities metro area. “It was heartbreaking to hear people on the phone begging for food, being worried about taking their children to school, to the hospital or to the doctor.”

Today, months after the ICE drawdown, many people in her community are still struggling with mental health, Torres-Castillo said. A peer support group offered by Por el Amor operating since early 2023 has become a lifeline for families. And over the summer, the organization branched out, hosting two intergenerational gatherings in a...