Minneapolis council reviews ordinance barring police from helping ICE
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis council members are set to hold a public hearing on Tuesday as they review changes to an ordinance that bans city employees from assisting ICE agents with immigration enforcement.
Minneapolis separation ordinance
What is it?:
The City of Minneapolis first passed its separation ordinance in 2003, following the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and ICE under the Bush administration. Cities across the country began passing laws, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, following suggestions from Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2002 that state and local authorities should act as conduits for federal immigration enforcement.
Among other requirements, Minneapolis' separation ordinance forbids Minneapolis police from taking part in immigration enforcement or assisting ICE agents. It also prevents city employees from investigating an individual when the only law they've violated is being in the United States illegally. City employees are also restricted from inquiring about immigration status except when required to do so by law.
ICE operations: Minneapolis looks to revise separation ordinance
The City of Minneapolis is holding a hearing on Tuesday on a revised ICE separation ordinance. This comes as immigration enforcement has increased in recent weeks in Minneapolis and elsewhere in Minnesota.
What we know:
Under the revised separation ordinance, the city pledges to "vigorously oppose" any effort to require the use of city resources for the enforcement of civil immigration laws.
The revised ordinance also takes a position against the government's practice of hiding the identity of federal agents, saying that working alongside anyone who lacks clear agency identification, who is masked, or conceals their identity or badges would be contrary to the values of the city and harmful to the trust and public safety of city residents.
If the city does work with federal authorities for criminal investigations, they are required to report the cooperation to the mayor, council and public. The report would include information on how the situation began, why the city got involved, a timeline of the city's involvement, arrests made, the cost of the involvement, and the number of people involved.
What's next:
The changes to the ordinance will be considered during a public hearing as part of a Minneapolis Committee of the Whole meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. FOX 9 will stream that meeting in the video player at the top of this article.
Lake St. raid prompted review of ordinance
The backstory:
The changes were proposed in the aftermath of a federal law enforcement raid on Lake Street that was mistaken by protesters as an ICE raid. A large group gathered outside a Mexican restaurant at Lake and Bloomington Avenue on June 3, believing federal authorities were targeting immigrants. In reality, a federal task force, including ICE and DHS agents, were investigating a drug and human trafficking case.
As the situation escalated, police responded for crowd control. Council members later questioned whether Minneapolis police responding to aid a task force that included ICE agents was a violation of the separation ordinance. A review by the city auditor later found that the city hadn't violated the separation ordinance. However, the auditor recommended the city prepare for future federal raids and suggested the council review the separation ordinance for potential updates. But, by the time that audit report was issued, the council was already in the process of strengthening the ordinance.
In the days following the Lake Street incident, Minneapolis police issued a memo reminding officers not to help with immigration enforcement.
Big picture view:
More recently, across the river, a similar situation developed in St. Paul after an ICE protest developed as federal authorities surrounded a home on Rose Avenue. In that incident, ICE agents were attempting to arrest two men when they said one man rammed an ICE squad with his vehicle, then ran back into a home on Rose Avenue, sparking a standoff.
St. Paul police responded for crowd control during the protest, using pepper spray and teargas at points to push back members of the crowd.
In recent weeks, President Trump has also ordered an immigration operation in Minneapolis targeting Somali populations.