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Tag: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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Nationwide strike called Friday to protest ICE; Don Lemon arrested for Minnesota church protest
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Hours after federal officers arrested journalists Georgia Fort and Don Lemon Friday, Fort’s family, colleagues and Minnesota media leaders gathered at Minneapolis City Hall to issue a stark warning: the freedom of the press — and democracy at large — are under attack.
Fort and Lemon were two of the journalists who entered Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota on Jan. 18 to cover a protest focused on one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, who also leads Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul field office.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered the arrests, calling the protest a “coordinated attack.”
Fort livestreamed the moment when she said federal officers arrived at her Twin Cities home early Friday, with her children’s weeping audible in the background.
“This is all stemming from the fact that I filmed a protest as a member of the media,” Fort said. “It’s hard to understand how we have a Constitution, constitutional rights, when you can just be arrested for being a member of the press.”
At Friday morning’s City Hall news conference, journalist Harry Colbert Jr., vice president of the Center for Broadcast Journalism — which Fort co-founded and currently leads — addressed his fellow journalists on the other side of the camera.
“If you think for one moment that you are protected, this is the wake-up call to let us know that [press badges] don’t stop arrests. They don’t stop the death threats that we get for doing our job. These don’t do a damn thing,” Colbert said. “Journalism is under attack. The First Amendment is under attack and democracy is crumbling. If we allow this to happen, if we allow this to happen, if we don’t speak up in the loudest voice, all of our so-called freedoms, our illusion of freedom, goes away.”
Fort’s eldest daughter briefly took the microphone to highlight the terrifying moment of her mother’s arrest.
“My 7- and 8-year-old sisters woke up today without a mom. My father woke up today without his wife. I’m demanding that my mom gets released. The separation of families will never be right,” Fort’s daughter said.
Sheree Curry, co-president of the National Association of Black Journalists, noted how Fort’s independence and entrepreneurial spirit puts her at extra risk.
“It’s very important that people like her, independent journalists especially, be protected. They do not have the same type of backing, as an independent journalist, as someone would who works for a media outlet,” Curry said. “Attacking a journalist, it is attacking all of us as citizens.”
Jasmine McBride, editor of the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder — the state’s oldest Black-owned business — spoke about Fort’s immense impact on her life and career. McBride said she was the first hire at Fort’s BLCK Press media company.
“[Fort] is a leader, she’s a truth teller, she’s been, she’s the most consistent person I know,” McBride said. “Her goal has always been illuminating what needs to be illuminated, illuminating the truth and standing by that, even if it means putting her in the position that she currently is today.”
Perhaps the most impassioned speaker at Friday’s conference was Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who urged U.S. journalists to “stop pandering” to the Trump administration.
“Stop giving them the voice that they don’t need. You have allowed them to create headlines that are false and lies. They are lying to the American public about everything that is happening, and you have allowed for them to get away with lies every single day,” Hussein said. “It is time to stand up. If you didn’t stand up for the Somali American community or our civil rights leaders, you should stand up for your colleagues, your colleagues in journalism.”
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WCCO Staff
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Demonstrators in Dinkytown call for Target to speak out against ICE
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Community members organized a sit-in at the Dinkytown Target on Friday.
It’s part of broader protests calling on the Minneapolis-based retailer to respond more directly to immigration enforcement.
Demonstrators outside the location near the University of Minnesota want the company — long seen as a community institution — to publicly oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on its properties, and ban agents from entering stores.
“ICE has been staging operations at Target parking lots all across the city,” organizer Elan Axelbank said.
“Seven hundred small businesses closed on the 23rd in solidarity with a general strike. Target stayed open,” protester Chris Gray said.
The group planned on a sit-in, but officers waiting at the doorway stopped them from advancing.
Target declined to comment on the protest.
Tensions have been high since a video went viral earlier this month showing immigration agents on top of two Target employees in the entrance of a store in Richfield, Minnesota. After an apparent verbal dispute, ICE put the workers in the back of an SUV. Soon after, both men were released.
This week, company leadership sent internal messages focused on safety and protocols. Target’s incoming CEO also joined 60 other business leaders calling for de-escalation after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“Well, Alex Pretti was my neighbor,” Gray said. “He was shot in the street and I think about it, I think about like, wow, dying, being pepper-sprayed on cold concrete sounds horrific.”
“I gotta carry my passport just to leave the house,” said a man who wasn’t a part of the protest, but supports it. “I got family members that got stopped [by ICE] and they’re all citizens.”
The retailer is in a difficult spot. Anyone, including officers, can enter public areas of a business. Legal experts say permission is required only in a private space, like a back office.
“Of course they can ban people,Target doesn’t want to upset Trump,” Axelbank said.
From what WCCO witnessed, Friday’s demonstrations were peaceful.
There are more sit-ins planned at various Targets on Saturday.
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Mahsa Saeidi
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Indigenous Americans rush to prove their citizenship amid ICE crackdown
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When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flooded Minneapolis, Shane Mantz dug his Choctaw Nation citizenship card out of a box on his dresser and slid it into his wallet.
Some strangers mistake the pest-control company manager for Latino, he said, and he fears getting caught up in ICE raids.
Like Mantz, many Native Americans are carrying tribal documents proving their U.S. citizenship in case they are stopped or questioned by federal immigration agents. This is why dozens of the 575 federally recognized Native nations are making it easier to get tribal IDs. They’re waiving fees, lowering the age of eligibility — ranging from 5 to 18 nationwide — and printing the cards faster.
It’s the first time tribal IDs have been widely used as proof of U.S. citizenship and protection against federal law enforcement, said David Wilkins, an expert on Native politics and governance at the University of Richmond.
“I don’t think there’s anything historically comparable,” Wilkins said. “I find it terribly frustrating and disheartening.”
As Native Americans around the country rush to secure documents proving their right to live in the United States, many see a bitter irony.
“As the first people of this land, there’s no reason why Native Americans should have their citizenship questioned,” said Jaqueline De León, a senior staff attorney with the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund and member of Isleta Pueblo.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn’t respond to more than four requests for comment over a week.
Since the mid- to late 1800s, the U.S. government has kept detailed genealogical records to estimate Native Americans’ fraction of “Indian blood” and determine their eligibility for health care, housing, education and other services owed under federal legal responsibilities. Those records were also used to aid federal assimilation efforts and chip away at tribal sovereignty, communal lands and identity.
Beginning in the late 1960s, many tribal nations began issuing their own forms of identification. In the last two decades, tribal photo ID cards have become commonplace and can be used to vote in tribal elections, to prove U.S. work eligibility and for domestic air travel.
About 70% of Native Americans today live in urban areas, including tens of thousands in the Twin Cities, one of the largest urban Native populations in the country.
There, in early January, a top ICE official announced the “largest immigration operation ever.”
Masked, heavily armed agents traveling in convoys of unmarked SUVs became commonplace in some neighborhoods. By this week, more than 3,400 people had been arrested, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 2,000 ICE officers and 1,000 Border Patrol officers were on the ground.
Representatives from at least 10 tribes traveled hundreds of miles to Minneapolis — the birthplace of the American Indian Movement — to accept ID applications from members there. Among them were the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe of Wisconsin, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa of North Dakota.
Turtle Mountain citizen Faron Houle renewed his tribal ID card and got his young adult son’s and his daughter’s first ones.
“You just get nervous,” Houle said. “I think (ICE agents are) more or less racial profiling people, including me.”
Events in downtown coffee shops, hotel ballrooms, and at the Minneapolis American Indian Center helped urban tribal citizens connect and share resources, said Christine Yellow Bird, who directs the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation’s satellite office in Fargo, North Dakota.
Yellow Bird made four trips to Minneapolis in recent weeks, putting nearly 2,000 miles on her 2017 Chevy Tahoe to help citizens in the Twin Cities who can’t make the long journey to their reservation.
Yellow Bird said she always keeps her tribal ID with her.
“I’m proud of who I am,” she said. “I never thought I would have to carry it for my own safety.”
Last year, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said that several tribal citizens reported being stopped and detained by ICE officers in Arizona and New Mexico. He and other tribal leaders have advised citizens to carry tribal IDs with them at all times.
Last November, Elaine Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon and an actress known for her roles in “Northern Exposure” and “The Last of Us,” said she was stopped by ICE officers in Washington state who told her that her tribal ID looked fake.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe this week banned ICE from its reservation in southwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska, one of the largest in the country.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota said a member was detained in Minnesota last weekend. And Peter Yazzie, who is Navajo, said he was arrested and held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Phoenix for several hours last week.
Yazzie, a construction worker from nearby Chinle, Arizona, said he was sitting in his car at a gas station preparing for a day of work when he saw ICE officers arrest some Latino men. The officers soon turned their attention to Yazzie, pushed him to the ground, and searched his vehicle, he said.
He said he told them where to find his driver’s license, birth certificate, and a federal Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood. Yazzie said the car he was in is registered to his mother. Officers said the names didn’t match, he said, and he was arrested, taken to a nearby detention center and held for about four hours.
“It’s an ugly feeling. It makes you feel less human. To know that people see your features and think so little of you,” he said.
DHS did not respond to questions about the arrest.
Mantz, the Choctaw Nation citizen, said he runs pest-control operations in Minneapolis neighborhoods where ICE agents are active and he won’t leave home without his tribal identification documents.
Securing them for his children is now a priority.
“It gives me some peace of mind. But at the same time, why do we have to carry these documents?” Mantz said. “Who are you to ask us to prove who we are?”
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CBS Minnesota
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Despite border czar Homan’s vows of ICE drawdown, Minneapolis mayor says he’ll believe it when he sees it
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Scott Sweetow, a former ATF special agent in charge in St. Paul and a firearms instructor, breaks down new details revealed by a government report about the killing of Alex Pretti.
There is no mention in the report of Pretti brandishing his gun before the shooting. Slowed-down video of the incident shows another agent had already taken possession of Pretti’s gun.
“Then that leaves a problem of whether your fellow officers knows that person has been disarmed or if they’re reacting to the last thing they heard. It also creates a chance that there’s going to be a use of deadly force,” Sweetow said.
Sweetow says following a use of deadly force, agents should be on leave for at least 3 days. It’s often longer. Federal Officials have said they’re still on the job.
“That’s both to protect the agency, to protect the person and frankly to protect the public from someone who may really be rattled when they’re out there because they’ve had to use deadly force and you don’t want them back out there engaging in a situation where they could use deadly force again,” Sweetow said.
During a federal investigation, he says agents’ guns are surrendered. There may be a new one issued and statements are given by everyone on the scene.
“It could be as simple as, ‘This is what I saw, heard, felt, smelled. This is what I perceived. I drew my weapon, I fired it. I don’t know how many rounds.’” Sweetow said.
He says evidence collected on the scene, including any bullets and casings, plus the autopsy, will be critical in any investigation.
“They’re going to want to get the guns, they’re going to want to see if those guns were fired,” Sweetow said.
That includes Pretti’s gun, which the notice says was secured in an agent’s vehicle on scene.
Sweetow’s recommendation is also to bring local or state agencies into an investigation. He says it builds confidence and trust with the public, no matter how large or small their role is.
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ICE arrests continue in Twin Cities as border czar signals possible drawdown
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Early Thursday morning, a neighbor came outside to commotion on her street in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. She began to record after spotting an ICE agent holding a woman by the arm, as she pleaded to be allowed to go back inside so she could take care of her young children.
That woman asked WCCO to only refer to her as “Jessica” as she described an encounter that ended with her father detained and taken away by ICE. She said that she was “shocked” when ICE approached her, telling her that she was under arrest, as she came outside to warm up her car.
“I told them, ‘I haven’t done anything. Why are you taking me?’” Jessica said. “The ICE agent grabbed me very forcefully. They told me to calm down, and that’s when they stopped hurting me.”
An agent keeps firm hold of her wrist and arm for at least five minutes, based on the video recorded by Jessica’s neighbor. That agent at one point threatens the person recording, telling her, “I need you to step back or you’re going to get arrested.”
Eventually, after an apparent conversation between two agents, Jessica is released. She explained that they ultimately decided to leave her as they didn’t have a warrant for her; however, they did detain her father, who they claimed was their original target.
Jessica said that her dad was undocumented but had no criminal record; WCCO could not find evidence of any crimes that he had committed locally by searching a state database.
The incident left her shaken. She said that she, too, is undocumented, but brought her family to Minnesota from Ecuador about five years ago in search of a better life for her daughters. Jessica said that she is the only one left to care for them after ICE detained her husband about three weeks ago.
“We left Ecuador because my country was taken over by gangs and dangerous people. They are killing innocent people — children and families. I immigrated with my brother, and after some time, I was able to bring the rest of my family to be with us,” Jessica said.
This incident was among many detainments documented on social media across the Twin Cities metro on Thursday, the same day that U.S. border czar Tom Homan spoke to the press for the first time following a shake-up in the faces leading Operation Metro Surge.
Homan pledged to have a more targeted approach in an operation that to date has included the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the violent detainment of American citizens and allegations of racial profiling.
WCCO is still waiting to hear from DHS on the detainment of Jessica’s father, as well as the detainment of two men in New Brighton on Thursday. A WCCO photojournalist was there to capture ICE agents pulling over a family in a car before asking each occupant for paperwork. ICE put two people in handcuffs, with a man who asked to stay anonymous explaining that they were his brother and his father.
“I can do nothing right now,” the man said through tears, explaining that the family had been on their way to get their car washed when they were pulled over.
Homan said that a plan is in the works to begin to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota without offering any concrete details. He said that this would be based on local and state officials “cooperating” with ICE, though the Minnesota Department of Corrections and local sheriffs have pushed back strongly on allegations that they are not already fulfilling their legal duties with respect to detainees with immigration violations.
In one recent case, ICE posted a video on social media accusing the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office of refusing to honor a detainer for an “alleged child sexual predator.” Sheriff Jason Purrington released a public statement calling the post from ICE “wholly inaccurate and not true,” explaining that the sheriff’s office had contacted ICE when someone posted bail for the defendant. Sheriff Purrington stated that in response, ICE said that they were unable to make it to Cottonwood County at the time and that they would pick him up at a later date.
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Conor Wight
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Report: Memo orders ICE agents not to engage with protesters
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After weeks of chaotic clashes, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official has reportedly sent a memo ordering agents not to engage with protesters.
Mary, a lifelong Minneapolis resident and owner of Thrifty Nifty, says this isn’t the city she grew up in.
“I’m in fear for my life because I don’t know if they’re going to be coming for us next,” she said.
Thursday morning, Border Czar Tom Homan discussed the ongoing crisis between ICE and protesters, saying the agency is working to alter how it operates.
“I do not want to hear that everything’s been done here has been perfect. Nothing’s ever perfect. Anything can be improved on. And what we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient by the book,” Homan said.
Reuters reports one of those changes is a memo headlined “DO NOT COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE WITH AGITATORS.”
“It serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation. No one is going to convince the other. The only communication should be the officers issuing commands,” the memo reportedly reads.
“I believe they’re still going to be around and still going to be terrorizing us,” Mary said.
Mary’s skepticism is shared by many of her neighbors, like this group, who are watching out for ICE in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood.
“I really don’t trust anything that they’re saying about any of this,” said a man who is part of a neighborhood watch, vigilantly watching for ICE. “Everything they’re doing is just intimidation and repression tactics to try to get us to stand out of their way, but we’re not going to do that, because we know what they’re doing is wrong.”
With the future uncertain, neighbors say they’re banding together. They say they aren’t letting their guard down, despite indications of drawdowns from the federal government.
“I think we all need to come together more closer. It doesn’t matter what your skin color is; it’s about love and family,” Mary said.
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Anna McAllister
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Minneapolis rapper Nur-D grateful to be alive after arrest by federal agents during protests
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Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Nur-D says he thought he was going to die at the hands of federal agents last weekend amid the protests that erupted in the aftermath of Alex Pretti being shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
More at home in the studio, it was the events of Jan. 24 that forced him out of his comfort zone and into the streets.
“This is real, this is life or death. You could die from saying, ‘I don’t like this,’” said Nur-D. “I went out there to voice my hurt, voice my pain, to exercise my First Amendment right, to say I just don’t think it’s cool to kill people in the street.”
While taking part in the protest, Nur-D says things got hectic.
“There are these flash bangs, and there is gas everywhere. So, I walk calmly, I walk slowly with my hands up. I was just being grabbed by somebody, and so I began to run. And as I was thrown to the ground, I was told I was under arrest for assaulting a federal officer, that’s what I was told,” said Nur-D.
He says he was hit in the back by some sort of projectile, and while on the ground, he kept repeating one phrase, thinking they would be the last words he would ever say.
“I said my name is Matthew James Obidiah Allen. I am a United States citizen. I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.
Nur-D says he is proud to be a Minnesotan and glad to see his state standing up to what he calls an occupation by federal agents.
“I’m grateful I’m alive, I’m here, I’m able to hug my wife and see friends, and that’s something that wasn’t guaranteed in that moment,” said Nur-D.
An artist known for his storytelling says he will use his platform to tell the story of what’s happening here in Minnesota.
“I get to use my voice to say we are done with this,” said Nur-D.
Nur-D says he’s got a team of attorneys to represent him as he pursues legal action against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.
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Reg Chapman
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Dozens of Minnesota faith leaders sign open letter calling for changes to Operation Metro Surge
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More than 60 faith leaders in Minnesota have signed on to an open letter to local, state and federal elected leaders calling for changes to Operation Metro Surge.
The letter, penned by leaders from Transform MN, a coalition of evangelical Christian churches, as well as the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Jewish Community Relations Council, opens by expressing concern over “the toll this crisis is inflicting on the trusted relationships that must exist between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect.”
“We’re clearly at a point where we need to be speaking collectively from our communities to this,” said Carl Nelson of Transform MN. “We all recognize the moment in which we live. The difficulties, the conflicting opinions, the suffering of immigrants, respect for law enforcement, all at the same time.”
The letter goes on to urge elected officials to chart an “off-ramp from this crisis.” The letter lays out five suggestions:
- Promoting collaboration among federal and state law enforcement to remove “dangerous people from our streets.”
- Respecting the need for federal immigration reform and curtailing immigration enforcement against law abiding undocumented immigrants and those “pursuing legal pathways our own government has created.”
- Respecting the civil and human rights of undocumented immigrants and citizens.
- Protecting the “most vulnerable among us” who are afraid to work, go to school, or procure “the basic necessities of life.”
- Restore safety, security, and calm in our streets, workplaces, especially in schools and houses of worship.
“The time has come for everyone to get around a table,” said Steve Hunegs of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “(To) talk these issues through and find a way forward, because no community can continue to endure this division…. if you don’t want the entire social fabric and tapestry to dissolve, time has come to try and find a way forward.”
You can find the full interview with Carl Nelson of Transform MN, Steve Hunegs of the Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jason Adkins of the Minnesota Catholic Conference this week’s episode of the WCCO Original Podcast: Bigger Than Belief.
Bigger than Belief
Bigger Than Belief is a weekly podcast exploring faith, belief, and religion – all through the stories of believers. With an emphasis on understanding belief through personal experience, we aim to create a conversation about faith that is fair, honest, and easy to understand – regardless of what you do (or don’t) believe. We’ll also take a journalistic approach to concepts and questions that are difficult to understand, while helping to make sense of current events impacting believers in our communities. You can find this week’s episode wherever you get your podcasts.
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Adam Duxter
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Homan says CBP, ICE working on “drawdown” plan in Minnesota, but says “I’m staying ’til the problem is gone”
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Border czar Tom Homan gave his first news conference Thursday morning since arriving in Minnesota at the request of President Trump, and said “a lot of progress” has been made since he arrived.
While Homan said that the plan is to facilitate a “drawdown” in federal immigration enforcement forces in Minnesota, he added, “I’m staying ’til the problem’s gone.”
“I didn’t come to Minnesota for photo ops or headlines. I came to seek solutions, and we’ve come a long way, and we’ve got some good wins for the people of Minnesota,” he said.
He said while he has had some disagreements with state and Minneapolis leaders since he’s arrived, he said everyone agrees that “community safety is paramount.”
“You can’t fix problems if you don’t have discussions,” he said.
Homan confirmed the Minnesota Department of Corrections has been honoring federal immigration detainers, and that will expand.
“That decision has made Minnesota safer … and the men and women of law enforcement, not just ICE,” he said.
U.S. House Democrats held a caucus call Wednesday evening, two sources confirmed to CBS News. During the call, Leader Jeffries urged Democrats to hold firm and continue to hold ICE accountable. Separately, a source confirms that a letter was sent earlier this week to Democratic offices from House Democratic leadership staff advising that members should avoid visiting Minnesota and stay in their districts for security reasons.
Another email sent to House Democrats said, “Leadership is working with the MN Delegation offices and Governor Walz’s team to develop a plan for strategic engagement that will not unduly burden law enforcement and our colleagues on the ground in MN right now.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Stephen Swanson
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Federal judge bars Trump administration from detaining lawful refugees in Minnesota
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A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily barred the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota who do not yet have green cards, following a bid by the administration to reexamine thousands of refugees’ cases.
The temporary restraining order was brought about by the International Refugee Assistance Project and other organizations, on behalf of a group of refugees who have been detained by immigration authorities or fear detention.
“Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully—and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries,” wrote U.S. District Judge John Tunheim. “At its best, America serves as a haven of individual liberties in a world too often full of tyranny and cruelty. We abandon that ideal when we subject our neighbors to fear and chaos.”
Tunheim’s order focuses on the Department of Homeland Security’s plan — known as Operation PARRIS — to review the immigration cases of roughly 5,600 people who currently live in Minnesota legally with refugee status but aren’t yet lawful permanent residents in the U.S. The department has said the program will involve conducting new interviews and background checks for those refugees, who were initially vetted before entering the country.
The legal challenge against the program alleges that federal authorities “implemented a practice of arresting and detaining — without notice or warrant — individuals previously screened and admitted into the United States as refugees,” Tunheim wrote in his restraining order.
Tunheim said the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that the government doesn’t have the legal right to detain refugees who aren’t facing possible deportation.
The judge’s order prohibits the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota on the basis that “they are a refugee who has not been adjusted to lawful resident status.”
He also ordered the administration to “immediately release” anyone covered by the ruling who is currently detained. Any refugees who are detained out-of-state must be transported back to Minnesota and released within five days.
Kimberly Grano, a staff attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said in a statement: “For more than two weeks, refugees in Minnesota have been living in terror of being hunted down and disappeared to Texas. This Temporary Restraining Order will immediately put in place desperately-needed guardrails on ICE and protect resettled refugees from being unlawfully targeted for arrest and detention.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X in response to the ruling: “The judicial sabotage of democracy is unending.”
CBS News has reached out to DHS and the Justice Department for comment.
Wednesday’s ruling came amid a two-month-long crackdown by federal immigration authorities in Minnesota, with around 3,000 federal agents carrying out roughly 3,400 arrests. It also follows an unprecedented November order by the Trump administration, obtained by CBS News, to review the cases of refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden and identify potential reasons why they might be ineligible to stay in the U.S.
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Chloe Rosen
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Fact check: DHS’s list of the “worst of the worst” arrested in Minnesota
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The Department of Homeland Security released its latest list of the “worst of the worst” arrested in Minnesota. The feds say those are the people they’re targeting in Operation Metro Surge.
They called them kidnappers, pedophiles, violent assailants, and perpetrators of fraud. WCCO found court records on three of the five men and the information released on them is mostly accurate.
DHS says Ian Irungu is from Kenya and was convicted of selling heroin and dangerous drugs.
WCCO found he was convicted of selling drugs in Ramsey County and Kanabec County. The charging documents list fentanyl and marijuana as the drugs, with him being accused of being a heroin and fentanyl dealer.
He first had contact with law enforcement in Minnesota in 2014 during a traffic violation.
The feds say Melvin Hernandez Espana is from Honduras and was convicted of assault. WCCO found he was convicted of assault in Ramsey County. Court records show he first had contact with law enforcement in Minnesota in 2015 for driving without a license.
DHS says Oliverio Francisco-Esteban, from Mexico, has been removed from the U.S. five times. It also lists three counts of driving under the influence and illegal entry. Court documents show this is true.
WCCO could not verify the claim of possessing fraudulent immigration documents.
WCCO also could not find Minnesota or federal documents related to the other two, who are in custody. It’s possible the convictions happened in another state.
This is data on the names they released. WCCO has no way to check the criminal history of others arrested on Monday because the names have not been released.
DHS has a “worst of the worst” page where you can see who’s on that list and who has been arrested in Minnesota and across the country.
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Jennifer Mayerle
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Protester in Alex Pretti shooting aftermath reflects on how it “could’ve just easily been me”
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During WCCO’s live coverage of Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and the subsequent protests, there was one man who left his mark and shared his moment with WCCO’s Frankie McLister:
Mike Medvec says he’s a gun owner and supports police, but not the federal crackdown in his hometown.
WCCO’s Frankie McLister wanted to reconnect with Medvec after a live interview between the two went viral Saturday.
“I support the police, support the military,” Medvec told McLister on Saturday.
Medvec says he was home alone Saturday when he saw the video of Pretti being shot and killed.
“I still am really emotional about it,” Medvec said. “My wife was in Vegas and I saw footage of the shooting and thought, I can’t just sit here? What am I gonna do?”
During Saturday’s live interview, Medvec said, “Today this could’ve just easily been me that got shot.”
Medvec has a permit to carry in Minnesota, loves donuts and claims he also would’ve filmed ICE if he were at Glam Doll Donuts.
“I don’t think what they’re doing is right,” Medvec said on Saturday.
“Lets face it. Anybody with half a heart who saw them push a lady to the ground would’ve helped, OK? And if that was me that was helping, it could’ve been me,” said Medvec.
He says Saturday gave him flashbacks to 2020.
“I cried after I saw what they did to my neighborhood. And I pray that everyone stays vigilant because I don’t want to see this happen to my city again,” he said in Saturday’s interview.
Medvec said he was proud of the city’s response on Saturday.
“I’ll tell you peaceful protest goes much further than rioting. I’m so proud of this city,” he said.
“I was blown away and wasn’t surprised,” said Pam Medvec when asked about her thoughts when seeing her husband’s viral interview. “He doesn’t fit what a lot of people think is a stereotypical protester, which doesn’t exist.”
“I’ll tell you, I’ve been clean for 39 years, May 19. I’ve done a lot of hugs, not drugs. When you see people struggle, whether it’s an addiction or everyday life, you just start to care,” Medvec said.
“We are proud of Minneapolis, but we lost two beautiful people. I’ll never forget that. That’s what I’ll fight for the next time,” he added.
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Frankie McLister
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Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis says ICE agents tried to enter and were turned away
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The Consulate of Ecuador in Minneapolis says a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent attempted to enter its premises late Tuesday morning.
Officials prevented the officer’s entry and activated emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Human Mobility, according to the consulate.
The consulate says the Foreign Minister of the Republic “immediately presented a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador so that acts of this nature are not repeated in any of the consular offices of Ecuador in the United States.”
University of St. Thomas law professor Rachel Moran says the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a United Nations treaty signed in 1963, prohibits U.S. authorities from entering a consulate without the permission of its head, except in circumstances of disaster.
“One of the more obvious points and understood points of that convention is that the foreign consulate is its own territory and it can dictate who’s allowed to enter and who’s not,” Moran said.
A video of the exchange shows a consular employee telling the agents they are not allowed to enter. The agent is heard warning the employee, “If you touch me I will grab you.”
The employee stayed and guarded the door, protecting the people inside.
“This is the Foreign Council of Ecuador, you cannot enter,” the employee says in the video.
The interaction lasted less than 30 seconds. Brianna Quito captured it all on her phone.
“Shocked, scared. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know if I should run, too,” Quito said. “Three ladies came inside running, one lady was holding a baby and they came running inside saying, ‘ICE, ICE,’ and then the guys that were waiting also in line with me, they went running into a room.”
Despite being a citizen, Quito says she now carries her passport with her at all times.
“I don’t know to not leave home, try to stay inside because ICE, yeah, ICE is everywhere,” Quito said.
The consulate is located on Central Avenue in northeast Minneapolis, blocks from where ICE recently took two Ecuadorian men. A woman named Jenny, who identified the men as her husband and cousin, said she pleaded with the agents to deport her and her young daughter, too.
It’s unclear why the agents did not take Jenny, who said she and the man are all undocumented, or her daughter.
“I was asking them to deport me because I don’t want to be left alone with my daughter,” Jenny said. “I don’t have a job, only my husband does, and now I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
WCCO has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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Riley Moser
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Detainees at Whipple federal building in Minneapolis have been denied access to lawyer, suit says
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A newly filed lawsuit accuses federal agents at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis of denying detainees of their right to contact a lawyer.
The lawsuit filed by the nonprofit organization Advocates for Human Rights is asking courts to intervene and restore detainees’ access to legal counsel and require confidential attorney-client communications. The Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are among those named in the suit.
The lawsuit outlines an instance that unfolded on Tuesday, in which a St. Paul woman with a pending asylum case was detained during a required check-in at the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program in Bloomington, Minnesota. The woman recently had cranial surgery and has significant medical needs, according to the suit.
The woman’s attorney immediately went to the Whipple building to consult with her, but upon arrival, federal agents refused to allow the two to communicate, the suit says.
The lawsuit says that since Jan. 11, detainees have not been provided with “constitutionally adequate or statutorily compliant access to counsel” and detainees are not granted an outgoing phone call. Instead, the lawsuit says that detainees are told they will be allowed an outgoing call after they have been “booked,” at which time they have been transferred to a detention facility outside the state.
The lawsuit also says the Whipple building lacks the adequate infrastructure such as beds, toilets and private phones to hold people for long periods of time. However, some detainees are held for “days,” the suit says.
Attorneys, too, have been threatened or intimidated by federal agents at Whipple, according to the suit.
Getty Images
The lawsuit echoes one filed last fall by the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center, which outlined “inhumane” conditions at an ICE processing center in Broadview, Illinois. The people inside the facility, the lawsuit said, could not reach their attorneys.
Last week, Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith wrote a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons after hearing that detainees, including a U.S. citizen, were denied access to counsel.
“As you know the right to due process and the right to counsel are foundational constitutional guarantees enshrined in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. ICE and all other federal law enforcement agencies are required to honor these constitutional rights, regardless of a person’s immigration status,” the letter said.
The Whipple building has been the center of federal immigration enforcement activity since the start of Operation Metro Surge. Protesters have gathered at the site daily.
Earlier this month, Democratic Reps. Angie Craig, Ilhan Omar and Kelly Morrison were denied access to the facility. Officials who turned them away cited a newly imposed seven-day notice policy for congressional oversight visits.
WCCO has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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Aki Nace
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Is There Now a Crack in the Wall Between Cannabis Use and Gun Rights
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Has Minneapolis upended politics and is there now a crack in the wall between cannabis sue and gun rights? There is pressure on the administration.
For decades, the relationship between cannabis use and gun ownership in the United States has been shaped by conflicting legal frameworks and cultural trends. Since the Gun Control Act of 1968, federal law has prohibited individuals who are “unlawful users” of controlled substances from possessing or purchasing firearms, a rule that historically included cannabis because it remained classified as a Schedule I drug. As more states have moved to legalize medical and recreational marijuana use, this federal prohibition has produced a legal disconnect: people who legally use cannabis under state law can be barred from firearm rights under federal law, while gun ownership, protected by the Second Amendment and upheld in key Supreme Court decisions like District of Columbia v. Heller, has remained a deeply entrenched individual right.
RELATED: What The Polymarket Says About Cannabis Rescheduling And More
Recent events in Minnesota have intensified national conversations about gun use, public safety, and federal regulation. The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent sparked widespread protest and media attention, thrusting discussions about when and how guns should be carried into the spotlight. The current administration’s response — including comments from national leaders suggesting that certain forms of gun carry at protests may be inappropriate — has prompted debate and scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle, especially in a state with permissive carry laws. The President’s remarks Good “should not have been carrying a gun,” despite Minnesota’s legal provisions for open and concealed carry, have underscored a broader willingness among federal officials to reconsider how guns are used in public spaces and under what circumstances.
Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks Cannabis use and gun rights have intersected not just legally but culturally. While states such as Minnesota grapple with questions of public safety following high-profile shootings, federal courts are taking up cases that challenge the application of firearm prohibitions to marijuana users. Several appellate courts have ruled barring state-sanctioned cannabis consumers from owning guns could violate the Second Amendment, creating legal pressure that may culminate in a decisive Supreme Court ruling. Advocates argue these challenges underscore the outdated nature of federal cannabis policy in a nation where a majority of states have embraced some form of legalization.
That uncertainty has also been visible inside the administration itself. In recent press briefings, the White House press secretary struggled to clearly articulate a definitive position on gun control, particularly when pressed on how new restrictions might apply to lawful gun owners versus criminal misuse. Repeated attempts to clarify whether the administration favors broader limits on public carry, enforcement changes, or legislative reform yielded cautious, and at times contradictory, responses. The moment underscored the administration’s difficulty in balancing public safety concerns with constitutional protections, revealing a lack of consensus on how far any restructuring of gun policy should go.
Amid these legal and political tensions, leaders in the current administration have repeatedly appeared on national news outlets discussing the need to rethink how guns are carried and used by average citizens. Some administration figures have indicated that the nation should consider stricter guidelines for public gun carry, citing recent violence and demanding a reevaluation of existing policies. This shift has sparked sharp disagreements with traditional gun rights advocates.
RELATED: Is CBD Next On The Fed’s Hit List
The National Rifle Association, for example, publicly criticized comments from federal officials seemed to question the rights of lawful gun owners, calling such statements “dangerous and wrong” and stressing law-abiding citizens deserve their full Second Amendment protections.
At the same time, the broader national dialogue remains unsettled. With public opinion sharply divided, legal challenges pending in the courts, and political leaders offering competing visions for the future of gun policy, it is far from clear where the balance will ultimately fall. As lawmakers, judges, and citizens continue to hash out these issues, the evolving conversation about cannabis use, gun ownership, and public safety highlights lingering tensions in American law and society.
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Terry Hacienda
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Nearly 100 Twin Cities food shelves sign letter calling for end to Operation Metro Surge
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Nearly 100 Twin Cities area food shelves have signed off on an open letter calling for an immediate end to the surge in Minnesota’s federal immigration efforts.
In a letter released Wednesday morning, organizations like Second Harvest Heartland, 360 Communities, The Sanneh Foundation and dozens more say Operation Metro Surge has brought “chaos and violence” to the communities they serve, leaving many too afraid to leave their homes.
In the letter, the organizations say they’ve seen federal agents follow volunteers making food deliveries, stand outside food shelf entrances, stage in food shelf parking lots, and in one instance, detain a food shelf volunteer.
“Every Minnesotan – indeed, every human being – deserves to eat,” the letter says. “Operation Metro Surge is hurting our neighbors, it is making us less safe, it is further dividing our communities, and it is making it harder to get food to Minnesotans in need.”
Wednesday morning, volunteers at Second Harvest Heartland’s Brooklyn Park warehouse worked to pack emergency boxes of food – aimed to cover several meals for families in need. The boxes are set to go to schools, faith organizations and more.
“The fear and anxiety that we hear from neighbors and our food shelf partners has been real, increasing and growing,” said Second Harvest Heartland CEO Sarah Moberg. “People are looking for safe ways to access food. We know that’s been difficult, right now.”
Peanut butter, tuna, fruit, chicken and pasta were all packed inside the emergency boxes. Moberg says they’re committed to packing 50,000 of them over the next several weeks – but says she plans to continue serving “as long as the community needs us”.
“I believe that everyone deserves to eat – no exceptions, no questions. I really hope that’s a sentiment that we can all share. Access to food should be free from fear,” she said.
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Adam Duxter
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Video shows ICE separating family during arrest in Minneapolis, despite wife’s pleas to be deported together
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests are still happening in Twin Cities neighborhoods, even with word of a rollback. New video shows the emotional scene as agents separated a family despite one woman’s pleas to be deported together.
Video from a parking lot in northeast Minneapolis shows federal agents pounding on a car window, then taking the man inside into handcuffs. A second man was also arrested.
Jenny was holding her daughter in the backseat of their vehicle as federal agents detained her husband and her cousin. She says both are undocumented and from Ecuador.
“I was yelling at them to take me with him, but they didn’t want to take me and our daughter with him,” Jenny said.
Jenny, who did not want WCCO to use her last name, also didn’t want to show her face during the interview, telling WCCO she is also undocumented.
“My daughter was very frightened and is going to miss her father,” she said.
As the agents told her to go home, Jenny tried pleading with them.
A short time later, the video shows her walking to the open door and appearing to help her cousin, who had just been arrested, get out of the car. He’s on the run for a short time before an agent takes him down.
“We just want to provide for our family and make sure they lack nothing, that’s why we crossed into this country,” Jenny said. “But they see us as criminals.”
Over the weekend, a top ICE official said federal agents had carried out roughly 3,400 arrests in Minnesota.
Jenny, distraught over her husband’s arrest, was ready to leave with him.
“I was asking them to deport me because I don’t want to be left alone with my daughter. I don’t have a job — only my husband does — and now I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Jenny said.
It’s not clear why Jenny wasn’t taken along with the two men. WCCO has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the arrests.
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Ashley Grams
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Minnesota educators say ICE activity is causing problems in the classroom
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Once again, Minnesota educators, parents and students stood in front of a podium to talk about the stress inside schools reaching a breaking point.
They say fear, anxiety and frustration is spilling into classrooms all because of ICE activity.
Teachers say more students are opting into virtual learning. But educators say that while it is a short-term solution, it comes with long-term consequences.
“This is morning on the way to school and start of the second semester, we had another student in Columbia Heights get pulled over by ICE,” Columbia Heights School Board Chair Mary Grandlund said.
They aren’t the only district feeling the pressure.
In the Fridley Public School District, 80% are students of color and 16% of students are now enrolled in virtual learning.
About an hour and a half south, the Rochester Public School District superintendent says between Jan. 9 and 22, more than 530 additional students are absent from schools.
Now, students say they plan to protest Friday on behalf of classmates, taking their demands straight to the governor.
“No one should feel fear that Minnesota students face at schools,” said Ria DeLooze, a Maple Grove Senior High School student.
DeLooze says those demands include:
- Guaranteed safe busing
- Suspension of the policy that withdraws students who miss 15 consecutive days of school
- A pause on standardized testing
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Ubah Ali
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Maryland graduation rates for Hispanic, multilanguage learners dropped due to ICE actions, officials say – WTOP News
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Josh Michael, school board president, drew a direct connection between the lower graduation rate and “heightened political tensions including the presence of immigration enforcement activity that are being felt directly inside school communities.”
Maryland’s overall graduation rate for the class of 2025 dropped by just one percentage point from the previous year — a drop attributed to Hispanic and English-language learners leaving school because of immigration enforcement actions, officials said.
At a briefing with reporters before Tuesday’s State Board of Education meeting, Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright said the 1% drop was “primarily due to lower graduation rates for Hispanic students and multilanguage learners.”
Josh Michael, school board president, drew a direct connection between the lower graduation rate and “heightened political tensions including the presence of immigration enforcement activity that are being felt directly inside school communities.”
Data from the Maryland State Department of Education showed the 2025 graduation rate at 86.4%, compared to 87.6% in 2024.
Michael said there was a 4.4% drop in graduation rates for Hispanic students and a 5.5% drop for what education officials categorize as multilanguage learners.
“I’ve never seen a drop or a gain that significant, year-over-year, in a relatively large subgroup,” he said.
Wright explained that overall, Hispanic students make up 24% of the total student population in Maryland.
Asked about the data from the previous school year, prior to increased ICE enforcement actions across the country and in Maryland, Michael said, “This is data from May and June of last year, right? All that is happening now will likely only further compound the trends that we’re starting to see from earlier in the year.”
At the same time the graduation rate dropped for Hispanic and multilanguage learners, the rate increased for Black, special education and lower-income students — groups that have historically trailed their peers.
Maryland Assistant State Superintendent Tim Guy told board members during the meeting after the briefing that the class of 2025 was notable in that “this was the first group of students that had all four years of uninterrupted (learning after) COVID,” and that the graduating class at 72,702 was larger than past years.
During the briefing, Wright said that last week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement interim director for the Baltimore Field Office met with school superintendents to discuss concerns about ICE enforcement activities. Wright said the director was “very responsive.”
When one superintendent asked if officials could stop ICE agents from using areas around schools for staging enforcement efforts, the director said “she was not aware that there was staging and so she said she would absolutely take care of that,” Wright said.
WTOP has contacted the Baltimore Field Office to ask about the meeting but the call was not returned.
Data from Maryland’s largest school system
Montgomery County’s graduation rate for students in 2025 was 88.7%, above the statewide average, but lower than its 91.8% graduation rate of 2024.
“We’re proud of the fact that we actually gained some ground in some critical areas with our African American students and some of our FARM students, as well as students with disabilities,” Montgomery County Superintendent Thomas Taylor told WTOP.
FARMs refers to students who qualify for Free and Reduced Price Meals.
“We lost ground with our English language learners, and that made up the largest percentage loss for us,” Taylor added.
While state education officials attributed the statewide loss to the current political climate and immigration policies of the Trump administration, Taylor told WTOP, “I can’t correlate the two directly, and I don’t have any anecdotal evidence of that.”
He said it’s something county school officials will look into: “That is certainly a concern of ours.”
Taylor noted that Montgomery County has the largest percentage of English-language learners “as well as the largest (percentage) of newcomers in the state.”
“So when see changes in (the graduation) data, it’s tremendously concerning, and it’s a call for action,” he said.
In a statement following Tuesday’s state board of education meeting, MCPS officials explained the county is “implementing strategies designed to restore academic excellence and reinforce core foundations across the district,” led by the Board of Education’s Future Ready Strategic Plan.
Among the objectives in that plan is closing performance gaps between reporting categories, including “students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, Multilingual learners, Hispanic/Latino students and Black or African American students.”
Montgomery County’s school system has information on resources for families within the county’s immigrant community.
“We want our families to know that we stand with our students … during this very difficult time,” Taylor said.
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Kate Ryan
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