ICE arrested 14 people on immigration violations in a raid at a St. Paul warehouse this week, the federal agency said Thursday.
Immigrant groups said Wednesday that they’d confirmed two people were detained and attorneys were working to determine if anyone else was taken into custody.
A statement from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson late Thursday was the first official confirmation of the number of people arrested.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s HSI and other federal law enforcement agents carried out a search warrant Tuesday morning at Bro-Tex Inc. on Hampden Avenue near University Avenue in the St. Anthony neighborhood.
Bro-Tex’s website says they’ve been manufacturing and converting cloth and paper wiping products since 1923.
Of the people arrested, one had past domestic abuse charges and one committed a felony by illegally re-entering the U.S., according to the Homeland Security spokesperson’s statement.
“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” the statement said. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and threaten American communities.”
The spokesperson also said “the employment of illegal aliens also incentivizes dangerous and illegal practices, including social security fraud.”
The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee in a Wednesday statement said they condemn “the kidnappings of the workers at Bro-Tex Inc., the arrest of a community observer, and the violence carried out by federal agents against peaceful demonstrators.”
The husband of a woman who was cuffed and taken into custody outside the business Tuesday wrote on social media that she’d been “peacefully protesting and filming.” She was held at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling until she was released later in the day.
Some people swarmed vehicles driven by federal agents while yelling, “No justice, no peace.” Federal personnel sprayed protesters with a chemical irritant. A woman reported she was struck twice in the leg by rubber bullets.
Video also showed some people stood in front of moving vehicles and law enforcement shoved them out of the way.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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