Headshot of Minnesota Reformer reporter, Madison McVan

Madison McVan

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Madison McVan is a reporter at the Minnesota Reformer, covering the impact of the Trump administration on Minnesotans, including issues like immigration, agriculture, Medicaid, food, housing and other safety net cuts. She's also covering the 2026 Minnesota U.S. Senate race. Prior to joining the Reformer, she wrote about labor and environmental issues in the agriculture industry for Investigate Midwest. She moved to the Twin Cities in 2020 after graduating from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and Latin American studies. She's bilingual.

Schiltz: ‘I did not violate any ethics rules’
Minnesota

Schiltz: ‘I did not violate any ethics rules’

Oct 02, 2026
Madison McVan
U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz on Friday publicly recounted the challenges of administering justice during Operation Metro Surge, just two days after the Justice Department filed an ethics complaint against him and other judges for criticizing the federal government’s actions...
Family of Renee Good sues federal government, Trump officials over killing
Minnesota

Family of Renee Good sues federal government, Trump officials over killing

Oct 01, 2026
Madison McVan
The family of Renee Good filed a pair of lawsuits against the federal government and top Trump administration officials Thursday morning, seeking compensation and a trial to determine the liability of several federal officials in Good’s killing. Good was shot...
Justice Department alleges misconduct by ‘all but one’ Minnesota federal judge
Minnesota

Justice Department alleges misconduct by ‘all but one’ Minnesota federal judges

Sep 30, 2026
Madison McVan
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a judicial misconduct complaint to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, accusing “all but one” of Minnesota’s federal district judges of unethical conduct, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced in a press conference Wednesday...
Minnesota Truth Council concludes public testimony on Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota

Minnesota Truth Council concludes public testimony on Operation Metro Surge

Sep 29, 2026
Madison McVan
A council tasked with documenting the harms of — and resistance to — the federal government’s immigration crackdown held its final public meeting Tuesday in Rochester. Gov. Tim Walz established the Minnesota Truth Council by executive order in March and...
Minnesota healthcare providers detail harm to patients from Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota

Minnesota healthcare providers detail harm to patients from Operation Metro Surge

Sep 14, 2026
Madison McVan
A pair of Minnesota healthcare providers published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine this month detailing the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on their patients. The article adds to the growing body of health research...
ICE agent Christian Castro turns himself in on federal charge
Minnesota

ICE agent Christian Castro turns himself in on federal charges

Sep 04, 2026
Madison McVan
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro, who is accused of shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis through the closed door of a Minneapolis home in January, turned himself in to federal authorities on Thursday, the Associated Press and other outlets reported...
Report: Feds charge ICE agent Christian Castro in connection with Minneapolis shooting
Minnesota

Report: Feds charge ICE agent Christian Castro in connection with Minneapolis shooting

Sep 03, 2026
Madison McVan
Federal prosecutors have charged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro with making false statements about the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis Jan. 14, the New York Times reported Thursday , citing an unnamed person familiar with...
CoreCivic offers to pay Appleton $1.2 million annually to cover lost tax revenue
Minnesota

CoreCivic offers to pay Appleton $1.2 million annually to cover lost tax revenue

Sep 02, 2026
Madison McVan
CoreCivic, the private prison company opening a new immigrant detention center in Appleton, Minnesota, has offered to pay the city more than $1.2 million per year. CoreCivic sold the Prairie Correctional Facility — a 1,600-bed prison in Appleton that’s been...
Attorney argues to force government to release more surveillance records in ‘Minnesota 15’ case
Minnesota

Attorney argues to force government to release more surveillance records in ‘Minnesota 15’ case

Aug 27, 2026
Madison McVan
A defense attorney in the conspiracy case against 15 Minnesotans asked a federal judge Thursday to order the government to release more documents related to the Department of Homeland Security’s wide-ranging surveillance campaign of anti-ICE activists, labor unions and nonprofits...
ICE agent Christian Castro, charged in Minneapolis shooting, released from Texas jail
Minnesota

ICE agent Christian Castro, charged in Minneapolis shooting, released from Texas jail

Aug 27, 2026
Madison McVan
Christian Castro, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged with shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis in January, was released from a Texas county jail early Thursday morning. Castro has been the subject of a rare interstate extradition battle between...
Minnesota Truth Council begins process of documenting impact of federal immigration operations
Minnesota

Minnesota Truth Council begins process of documenting impact of federal immigration operations

Aug 26, 2026
Madison McVan
A truth council assembled by Gov. Tim Walz heard testimony for the first time Wednesday from people who say they were harmed by the thousands of federal immigration agents sent to Minnesota this winter. Immigrants and community leaders shared stories...
Judge denies Minnesota’s extradition request for ICE agent Christian Castro
Minnesota

Judge denies Minnesota’s extradition request for ICE agent Christian Castro

Aug 26, 2026
Madison McVan
A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday denied the state of Minnesota’s extradition request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro, who is charged in the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in north Minneapolis in January. The ruling means...