About a dozen people gathered at Marydale Park in St. Paul Thursday evening for a candlelight vigil to support the families of several men from a roofing crew who were arrested by immigration agents that morning.
Residents of St. Paul’s North End neighborhood saw unmarked vehicles parked outside their homes around 8:30 a.m., and federal agents entering a house in the 1200 block of Matilda Street, according to State Rep. Athena Hollins. The agents wore bulletproof vests, and some had their faces partially covered with cloth, according to videos and photos taken by neighbors and sent to Hollins, who shared them with Sahan Journal.
“We need to know who is dragging our neighbors away, I think that is the bare minimum,” said Hollins, a DFLer who represents the area.
St. Paul resident Nicholas Lilienthal said he saw a man hiding in his backyard Thursday morning as federal agents with “ICE” (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and “HSI” (Homeland Security Investigations) on their vests looked for him.
The agents used zip ties to bind the men’s hands before putting them into vehicles, he said, adding that the men looked “dejected.” Lilienthal said his fence has a “giant hole” caused by one of the men jumping over it.
“You feel for the people who are being detained, because obviously you never want people to go through that,” he said, adding that the federal agents were dismissive when he asked them to explain the arrests and to repair his fence.
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ICE’s St. Paul Field Office arrested four individuals, according to an email statement from the agency. Three of them are citizens of El Salvador and one is a citizen of Honduras, the statement said. Three of the individuals had final orders of deportation, and one will be placed in immigration removal proceedings. ICE said three of them had prior criminal convictions, but did not elaborate.
“Further details are being finalized and will be released soon,” the ICE statement said.
Governor Tim Walz has been notified of the arrests, Hollins said, adding that she wants to explore how to prohibit federal agents from wearing face covers.
“I think we really need to explore all possible options,” she said. “Obviously, it’s been happening everywhere.”
It’s unclear who the men were working for, and where they are being detained. A man who answered the door where the arrests occurred declined to comment Thursday evening.
Many immigrant advocates also received word of the arrests and arrived at the scene, said Mark Sacay, a “rapid responder” who documents and assists people at the scene of immigration arrests. Sacay, who was among about 10 rapid responders at the scene, told Sahan Journal that at least a dozen federal agents were involved in the arrests.
Ramsey County Commissioner Garrison McMurtrey, who represents the area, said the county sheriff’s office was not present at the arrests. St. Paul police spokesperson Nikki Muehlhausen said the department had no information about the arrests and was not present.
The Immigrant Defense Network, a statewide group of advocacy organizations that provides direct services and legal resources, partnered with Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action (COPAL) to organize Thursday’s vigil. Attendees sang songs in Spanish and English focused on hope.
Hollins and McMurtrey spoke at the vigil, expressing sorrow and reaffirming their commitment to supporting immigrants.
“This is about raising public attention to the fact that it’s happening,” Ryan Perez, organizing director of COPAL said of the vigil. “Yes, there’s this individual situation, but we hear about these reports all the time.”
The arrests come two days after federal authorities announced Tuesday that they had recently conducted 900 site visits and in-person interviews across the Twin Cities investigating alleged immigration fraud.
