St. Paul officials sent a cease-and-desist letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to prevent them from using municipal parking lots to stage immigration enforcement operations.
The letter demands that DHS “immediately halt further use of city parking lots for federal operations without the City expressly authorizing such use,” according to a statement issued by St. Paul officials Friday. Park and Rec Center parking lots were recently used in immigration enforcement operations, city officials say.
“DHS and other federal law enforcement agencies have previously and recently used city parking lots to stage vehicles and personnel without the city’s consent nor any authorizing agreement, permit, or statutory basis,” according to city officials. “This unauthorized occupation of municipal property is unconstitutional and constitutes an unlawful diversion of parkland and use of park parking lots under the city’s Charter and Legislative Code. These actions also interfere with the public’s right to access and use these facilities for their intended purposes.”
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said these properties are intended to be used by residents.
“Our parks and libraries are among the most valued and essential services in our city, and they exist solely to serve our residents and families,” Carter said in a statement. “When federal law enforcement repurposes them for federal operations without our authorization, it eliminates public access, erodes public trust, and undermines local control by unlawfully occupying city property.”
St. Paul officials said the city is prepared to use legal avenues available, such as “seeking immediate injunctive relief.”
“City-owned park property is legally reserved for park purposes, and its unauthorized use by federal enforcement agencies violates City law,” said City Attorney Lyndsey Olson, in a statement. “This unlawful activity must stop immediately. We will take appropriate action to protect Saint Paul’s public spaces.”
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A copy of the letter can be found at stpaul.gov.
Last month there was a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation at a business off of University Avenue which resulted in several individuals being detained. Another operation occurred at a residence on the city’s East Side in which a Honduran immigrant was taken into custody.
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