U.S. Border Patrol head Greg Bovino downplayed concerns about reports of citizens or others uninvolved in enforcement operations or protests being arrested by federal agents during a Tuesday news conference updating immigration activities.
“We’re on the streets with our troops almost every day, and what we see when folks get swept up — as you say — oftentimes it’s those agitators, those rioters, and now I’ll call them anarchists,” he said.
Federal immigration authorities arrested about 10,000 people in Minnesota over the last year, Bovino and Department of Homeland Security officials said. That number has not been independently verified.
Enforcement operations are focused on people who pose a danger to the community, Bovino said, pushing back on many reports of random arrests and detainments
“They are not random and they are not political. They are about removing criminals who are actively harming Minneapolis neighborhoods,” he said.
Bovino repeated the claim that ICE has close to 1,400 immigration detainers on individuals in Minnesota jails and prisons and called on state officials to turn those individuals over to federal authorities. The Minnesota Department of Corrections has disputed that number, calling it “categorically false.” In a statement last week, the state said 207 of the roughly 8,000 people incarcerated in state prisons are non-U.S. citizens. Though it’s unclear how many non-citizens are in jails across the state.
Off-duty police officers pulled over
There have been numerous reports of ICE agents randomly pulling people over, demanding proof of legal residency during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Two off-duty St. Paul police officers were among them, city police chief Axel Henry said Tuesday. An off-duty Brooklyn Park officer also was stopped at gunpoint, according to that police department’s chief.
A 23-year-old St. Paul resident, and U.S. citizen, Nasra Ahmed was detained for two days last week by ICE and ChongLy “Saly” Scott Thao, a naturalized U.S. citizen was taken at gunpoint from his home on the East Side of St. Paul Sunday and driven around before he was released.
Protests continued on Tuesday, despite significantly cooler temperatures than in previous weeks. A small crowd gathered outside the parking entrance at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, blowing whistles and jeering at vehicles presumed to be involved with immigration enforcement.
Stepped-up immigration enforcement throughout the Twin Cities began late last year and escalated in early January with upward of 2,000 ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
‘Heated rhetoric and accusations’
Asked if there were any differences between his experiences in Minnesota and other states where ICE and Border Patrol have operated, Bovino said local opposition was better organized. He accused Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey of fueling tensions with “heated rhetoric and accusations.”
“They’ve got some excellent communications,” he said of protesters. “That, coupled with a very poor response from the mayor and the governor — those two things coupled together make that a difficult operating environment at times.”
Immigration officials would not directly answer if ICE Agent Jonathan Ross had been placed on administrative leave after shooting 37-year-old Renee Good during a confrontation in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
“He’s at home recovering,” said Marcos Charles, executive associate director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, when asked about Ross, who federal officials said sustained injuries when he was struck by Good’s vehicle.
Walz: End to immigration enforcement surge
Meanwhile, Walz on Tuesday again urged President Donald Trump to end the federal immigration actions taking place in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the state.
In a statement Tuesday, Walz called on the president to come to the state “to see our values in action.”
The governor also addressed the U. S. Department of Justice investigation in him, Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and other metro officials. The three previously have denounced the probe — which involves whether they impeded the immigration action — saying its politically-motivated.
“This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice,” he said. “It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants standing shoulder to shoulder with their community.”
The immigration actions in the state are having a significant impact on many Minnesotans, Walz said.
Related Articles
Jurors selected in trial for alleged murder-for-hire plot of Border Patrol leader in Chicago
Minnesota statewide strike, economic blackout to protest ICE on Friday
MN physicians describe ‘chaos and fear’ due to immigration actions
St. Paul police chief: Even off-duty cops are being stopped by ICE agents
Gov. Tim Walz again urges President Trump to end immigration actions in MN
“My focus has always been protecting the people of this state,” he said. “Families are scared. Kids are afraid to go to school. Small businesses are hurting. A mother is dead, and the people responsible have yet to be held accountable. That’s where the energy of the federal government should be directed: toward restoring trust, accountability, and real law and order, not political retaliation.”
Walz ended by saying: “Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I.”
Leave a Reply