Several local law enforcement leaders are expected to express their concerns at a news conference this morning about interactions between their agencies and federal immigration authorities.
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry and Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley are among the local law enforcement leaders expected to speak at the 11:15 a.m. news conference.
The development comes a few weeks after the federal government ramped up Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, and a host of controversial federal action, including the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good. The operation began in early December when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency sent 100 additional agents to Minnesota to conduct immigration work.
The federal government significantly expanded the operation earlier this month, sending between 2,000 and 3,000 more immigration agents to Minnesota. Federal authorities say they’ve arrested 3,000 immigrants as part of the operation, and have called it the largest immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history.
The operation has led to constant protests in the Twin Cities, which intensified after Good’s killing. Good, a U.S. citizen, was killed in south Minneapolis while monitoring immigration activity. A federal agent shot and wounded Julio Cesar Sosa Celis in north Minneapolis a week later during an attempted immigration arrest.
Several U.S. citizens have reported being racially profiled and detained by federal agents, and citizens observing immigration activity have also reported being arrested and held for hours at a time.
The operation has resulted in several lawsuits aimed at curbing ICE behavior, including from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
