ICE’s widening net spreads fear from Targets to bus stops

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A sweeping federal immigration enforcement surge is leading to fear within Minnesota communities, where people hope to protect neighbors as ICE agents roam the streets. 

ICE in Minnesota

What we know:

In St. Paul, federal agents used a battering ram to bust through a family’s front door.

A parent in Robbinsdale was picked up while dropping their kid off at the bus stop.

In Shakopee, a long-time Amazon employee was detained in the parking lot of the massive distribution center that has historically offered work to immigrants from all over the world. 

A flood of social media videos and court filings this week revealed how ICE and immigration agents are pushing enforcement operations into homes, schools and businesses across the Twin Cities.

"Armed, masked, under-trained ICE agents are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live," Gov. Tim Walz said in a televised address to the state this week. "They’re pulling over people indiscriminately, including U.S. citizens and demanding to see their papers."

Hiding out and keeping watch 

Why you should care:

The eroding lines of protection from federal surveillance are prompting fear and anger among tight-knit communities now trying to shield parents, teachers and coworkers from roving immigration agents. 

Schools have closed, excused absences and offered e-learning to students not because of milder January temperatures, but out of concerns with the expanding government operations.

Parents are staking out day cares out of fear that their kids’ teachers may be targeted by ICE.

Restaurants are keeping doors locked and implementing policies requiring employees of color to be driven to and from work by white co-workers.

Big Business Response

Local perspective:

However, several big businesses are being criticized for not doing more.

Earlier this week, demonstrators demanded Minnesota-based Target ban ICE and immigration agents from its stores after a social video showed a drive-up worker, who identified as a U.S. citizen, being detained by federal agents.

The worker was accused of impeding operations and assaulting agents but was later released. 

However, there was still outrage that the agents were operating in Target’s parking lot.

Target has not commented on its policy.

Days later, an Amazon employee was arrested in the warehouse parking lot in Shakopee.

Court records indicate he is a refugee from Somalia who has worked at Amazon for the past two years. His background is now being reviewed as part of Operation PARRIS, a sweeping new initiative reexamining thousands of refugee cases.

Big picture view:

The operation is part of the widening net cast by the Trump Administration that appears to include targeting immigrants with varying levels of protected status.

Several people detained in recent days say they have pending asylum cases or work authorization permits in the U.S., according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.

The aggressive tactics have been lauded by Republicans.

GOP response

The other side:

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) said ICE agents should be applauded and celebrated for carrying out enforcement operations.

"I think our law enforcement agents are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do," said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN). "Many of them live in our community, go to church with us and we see them in the grocery store…you may not know they’re a federal law enforcement officer but they live amongst us."

In this video, a woman said ICE agents were, in fact, cheered after detaining someone at a grocery store.

Republicans argue agents would not have to search high and low for deportation targets if local law enforcement cooperated with immigration agents.

"Minnesota should be honoring requests by the federal government to hold criminals that are here illegally that are already in our jails, rather than release them onto our streets, so that they can be detained by ICE in an orderly and safe manner," said Minnesota's Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth.

Detained at home instead of court

Dig deeper:

But court records show immigration agents are not focusing solely on the "worst of the worst" who are held in jails.

They are also choosing to detain people who already have pending removal cases in immigration court.

ICE detained a Liberian immigrant this week who had recently checked in at the Whipple Federal building. He had another hearing scheduled for later this month.

Instead of detaining him at the federal building, they broke down his door despite not having a judicial warrant. He has since been released back home to wait again for his potential removal.

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