Ramsey County has not reduced or suspended any of its services due to the presence of federal agents in the Twin Cities, but impacts are being felt, officials said at a county board meeting Tuesday.

“However, over the past week, in some areas, federal immigration enforcement has affected our department’s ability to deliver in-person services, on-site services, and impacted residents coming in to get services,” Ramsey County Manager Ling Becker said.

That includes culturally specific events hosted by Parks and Recreation that have been canceled or seen reduced attendance, which will result in revenue reduction for the county, Becker said.

VA office relocated

Another impact is the temporary closure of the St. Paul Veterans Affairs Regional Benefit Office, which is located in the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling. The building, which has been militarized with concrete barriers and chain-link fencing, is currently being used as an ICE field office covering several Midwestern states. It has been the location of protests in recent days.

Staff at the St. Paul VA office are currently available at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis and virtually, according to the St. Paul Veterans Affairs Regional Benefit Office website.

County staff have also noted increased fear and hesitancy to access services among county residents and impacts on partner organizations, Becker said.

“Call centers and 911 have received an increase in calls of upset community members,” Becker said.

There have been cases of families avoiding going out for basic needs, she said.

“Some have canceled or rescheduled appointments within public health programs such as WIC, family home visiting, family health, early childhood, family education, and we are relying more on virtual services,” she said. “Housing and food security concerns are increasing in our community, especially based on my previous update with folks being more hesitant to apply for SNAP benefits.”

County policy states that immigration enforcement will not be permitted in private county spaces without a valid judicial warrant.

Officials are working closely with the county sheriff’s office and the county attorney’s office to maintain coordinated efforts to support the community, Becker said. County staff also have received ongoing training on what to do if immigration enforcement officers are in county spaces and are provided contact information for legal counsel with the county to assist in interpreting a judicial warrant.

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After selling out his October 2024 stop at the former Xcel Energy Center, country star Cody Johnson will return to the St. Paul venue now known as Grand Casino Arena on Aug. 29.

The on sale date for tickets will be announced at a later date.

A Texas native who began playing music at the age of 12, Johnson rode bulls professionally and worked for a prison before its warden convinced him to pursue music full time.

He went on to self-release six albums, with 2016’s “Gotta Be Me” spinning off a pair of minor radio hits in “With You I Am” and “Wild as You” and reaching No. 2 on the country albums chart.

That was enough to attract the attention of Warner Music Nashville, which has since issued three of his records, including 2023’s “Leather,” which won album of the year at the 58th annual Country Music Association Awards in 2024. A deluxe version of “Leather” has spawned two singles, “I’m Gonna Love You” (a duet with Carrie Underwood) and “The Fall.”

Over the years, Johnson has earned comparisons to George Strait and Willie Nelson. His other hits include “Til You Can’t,” “Human,” “The Painter” and “Dirt Cheap.”

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The whereabouts of four members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are still unknown five days after they were reportedly detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis, according to tribal and state leaders.

The four men who were detained Jan. 8 were living under a bridge by Little Earth of United Tribes, a Housing and Urban Development-subsidized housing complex in Minneapolis near the intersection of 24th Street and Cedar Avenue South, according to a statement from Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out. A bystander — also a tribe member — was able to get the information that the men are members of the Oglala Sioux, but did not get their names, Star Comes Out said.

The news came just a day after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer, amid a surge in federal immigration activity in the Twin Cities area that state and city leaders are trying to end with a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s office did not have any updates on the Oglala Sioux men detained by ICE as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Requests for updates from the Department of Homeland Security, Oglala Sioux Tribe leaders, and other state officials were not answered by Tuesday morning.

“Native people have been here since time immemorial — there’s no one that has been a citizen of this country longer than us. The obvious racial profiling happening to our community is disgraceful. My heart breaks to hear about what’s happening and it pisses me off,” said Flanagan, a member of White Earth Nation.

Red Lake Nation descendant Jose Roberto “Beto” Ramirez also was detained by ICE on Thursday, but he was released the same day, according to a report from ICT News. Red Lake Nation did not have any further updates on Ramirez as of Monday.

The Minnesota Native American Caucus — Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton; Rep. Heather Keeler, DFL-Moorhead; and Rep. Liish Kozlowski, DFL-Duluth — condemned the federal agents’ actions against the Native American population in a statement released Sunday.

“Native peoples are Indigenous to this country, existing on this continent for thousands of years before the colonization of this nation — rendering deportation impossible and absurd. Snatching a Native person off the street is not a reckless mistake — it’s a direct assault on Indigenous sovereignty and due process. Native Americans are citizens by law, history, and treaty,” the statement read.

Since 1924, federal law has guaranteed Native American citizenship to Native Americans born in the U.S., and ICE cannot detain or deport them for immigration violations, according to the Native American Rights Fund.

“The detention of Native peoples in Minnesota follows a disturbing nationwide pattern by ICE agents: targeting immigrants and civilians, seizing American Indian persons off the street, ignoring their clear identification as Tribal members, and detaining them by ruthless force,” the Minnesota Native American Causus said, calling on Tribes to establish rapid response policies and protocols regarding ICE activity.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that affected Somalis must leave the U.S. by March 17.

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A Coon Rapids man was shot and killed Saturday morning in North St. Paul and another man is being held in connection with the slaying, police said on Tuesday.

A press release gave the following details:

Officers responded at about 7 a.m. to reports of an assault on the 2000 block of Ninth Avenue in North St. Paul. When they arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Nehemiah Davis, 19, of Coon Rapids.

A 24-year-old St. Paul man was taken into custody and is being held in the Ramey County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, police said.

Police said the results of a preliminary investigation indicate the shooting was an isolated event and that there is no threat to the public.

Detectives ask anyone with any information regarding the shooting to call the North St. Paul Police Department at 651-747-2444.

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