The St. Paul City Council is urging the city’s hotels to not house federal immigration agents.
Members unanimously passed a resolution at Wednesday’s council meeting, saying, “residents of St. Paul have reported increased anxiety, fear, and economic hardship as a result of heightened immigration enforcement activities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.”
The resolution also said “the presence of these federal personnel housed in local hotels has caused significant public safety concerns among residents, workers, and business owners in the city.”
Council Member Nelsie Yang said while there isn’t any action they can take requiring hotels to refuse service to federal agents, the council can send a message of: “We want ICE out.”
Two downtown St. Paul hotels said last month they were closing temporarily, citing safety concerns after critics said they were housing federal immigration officers.
Protesters have held “noise demonstrations” outside a hotel in St. Paul, along with hotels in Minneapolis and suburbs where they believe federal agents are staying during Operation Metro Surge.
On the other hand, the Hilton hotel chain removed its name from a Lakeville Hampton Inn last month for not accommodating a man who said he was from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Law enforcement identification
The council has said it’s taking a phased approached to introducing a series of ordinances in response to the increased federal immigration enforcement since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation on Nov. 25 on Rose Avenue near Payne Avenue. St. Paul police said they were called to assist as protesters gathered. Officers used chemical irritants and less-lethal munitions, which drew criticism from all city council members.
On Wednesday, the council unanimously approved an ordinance requiring law enforcement officers to have the name of their law enforcement agency on the outermost layer of their uniform. It also requires either a name or badge number, or both, on the uniform. It goes into effect 30 days after publication.
They held a public hearing about another ordinance brought forward last week. It would require law enforcement officers to not wear face coverings that conceal or obscure their facial identity “in the performance of law enforcement duties.”
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There are exemptions in the masking and identification requirements for undercover operations and, in the face-covering ordinance, when “protective gear is required for physical safety.”
An ordinance approved last Wednesday prohibits law enforcement from staging on city-owned property for federal immigration enforcement and limits access to non-public city spaces, and Mayor Kaohly Her signed it Friday. It codifies a December cease-and-desist letter directing federal law enforcement to not use city parking lots.
“This action honors that promise by strengthening and clarifying our city’s expectations, and making it explicit: city property is not for immigration enforcement,” Her said. “Our city parks, libraries, and service centers are trusted resources for our community, and they must stay that way.”
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