ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – A large crowd gathered in a St. Paul neighborhood Tuesday morning amid a federal law enforcement operation that protesters believed was an ICE raid.
ICE raid in St. Paul?
What we know:
The crowd had gathered outside a home in the area of Maryland Avenue East and Payne Avenue amid an operation that involved federal authorities, including ICE agents and a U.S. Marshals task force. St. Paul police officers were also at the scene, assisting with crowd control in riot gear.
Protesters held signs and called out anti-ICE chants as investigators worked inside a home.
The backstory:
Agents were on the scene at least through the 11 o’clock hour on Tuesday morning but cleared the scene starting around 12:30 p.m.
As they left, police used tear gas to clear protesters who were blocking vehicles in the street.
What were federal agents doing?
What we don’t know:
FOX 9 has not been able to confirm whether the operation was related to immigration enforcement or simply a criminal investigation. FOX 9 has reached out to St. Paul police, the City of St. Paul, and the Department of Homeland Security for more information on the incident.
Agents at the scene did tell FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard they were in the area looking for two people, one of whom ran away and went into a house.
Use of force by St. Paul police
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter reacts to federal raid [FULL]
A large crowd gathered in a St. Paul neighborhood amid a federal law enforcement operation in St. Paul that protesters believe was an ICE raid. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter went to the scene to assess what happened, and said he’s still trying to sort the events out.
What they’re saying:
Outgoing St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter spoke with protesters following the raid but told the upset residents that he didn’t yet have all the details about what happened.
“They don’t coordinate with us,” the mayor said, saying they weren’t aware of the raid until it happened. “They don’t give us the information in advance… They sort of – what they do nationwide – pop up on the scene and create chaos and then leave. And then local communities are left trying to sort out chaos.”
Protesters raised concerns to the mayor about the use of tear gas and pepper spray by St. Paul police officers working crowd control during the incident. Two state lawmakers, Reps. Athena Hollins and Liish Kozlowski, said they were pepper sprayed by St. Paul police.
Speaking with the media afterward, Carter said it was a frustrating situation for everyone involved. “Community members are frustrated. This is what we see ICE agents doing all over the country, showing up, creating havoc, creating chaos, and leaving local communities trying to figure out how to navigate the trauma they create. That’s part of the troubling practice they create.”
Mayor Carter said his office would review the force used by St. Paul police officers to clear members of the crowd during the protest. “I believe our police department is good at holding ourselves accountable for actions, making sure our actions fall within our use of force policies.”
In a tweet, Gov. Walz said: “We are monitoring the situation in St. Paul and working to understand what unfolded. We received no heads up from federal authorities on this operation. While we are always willing to work together on public safety, that is clearly not what this chaotic situation was about.”
The Source: This story uses information FOX 9 gathered at the scene in St. Paul, online, and from Mayor Melvin Carter, and other officials.
ImmigrationSt. PaulCrime and Public Safety
