ICE raids St. Louis Park business, arrests 8, immigration advocates say

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - ICE agents raided an aluminum finishing company in St. Louis Park on Feb. 26, arresting eight employees, immigration advocates said.

ICE reportedly arrested 8 at St. Louis Park business

The backstory:

ICE agents stormed into an aluminum finishing company in St. Louis Park on Feb. 26, arresting eight employees, immigration advocates said. The agents eventually released one of them, though it’s unclear why, they said.

What they're saying:

"ICE went not all at once in grabbing everybody there but went one at a time and grabbed one person at a time," said Ryan Perez, who organized a protest Wednesday where he read a prepared statement from an eyewitness to the raid. "She reported that eight people were actually arrested even though seven people were detained."

Raid came weeks after company audited employees, immigration advocates say

What happened before the raid:

Less than three weeks before the raid, Hardcoat Inc. audited employees’ eligibility to work in the United States, according to a letter obtained by COPAL MN, an immigration advocacy group. The letter, which was reviewed by FOX 9, said that "in an effort to stay in compliance with the U.S. citizenship and immigration requirements, Hardcoat Inc. will be conducting an I-9 audit." An I-9 form verifies an employee's eligibility to work in the United States. The letter also said that "every employee will be asked to produce the appropriate documents in the next few days."

It is unclear whether the raid is connected to what the letter described as an "internal audit."

Hardcoat Inc. did not respond to a request for comment.