LIVE UPDATES | ICE in Minnesota: Federal authorities give update on surge
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The surge of immigration enforcement in Minnesota continues on Thursday, with updates from ICE officials, Vice President JD Vance expected and the Minnesota Department of Corrections expected.
This comes as the Trump administration claims the State of Minnesota is not cooperating with federal immigration officials. However, Minnesota officials argue otherwise. State prison leaders say they always coordinate with ICE when releasing inmates.
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Find live updates on ICE operations in Minnesota below.
9 a.m. - ICE operations update from feds: ‘Stalked’ by ‘extremists’
Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations leader Marcos Charles held a news conference to discuss immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. Displayed at the press conference was a TV with scrolling mugshots, which DHS titled "Worst of the Worst." No names were provided on the screen, only information on the country they're from and the crimes DHS says they committed.
Charles said DHS has arrested more than 10,000 people who are in the country illegally in Minnesota over the past year, and more than 3,300 people in the U.S. illegally since the launch of Operation Metro Surge. Charles blamed Minnesota's sanctuary policies on the people who have been arrested being in the state, and said protesters are protecting criminals. Charles asked the state of Minnesota to honor immigration detainers, and asked the state to work with them, not against them.
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He said the state Department of Corrections is cooperative with ICE detainers, but claims counties are not honoring detainers. County sheriffs have previously addressed "inaccurate" statements from DHS officials.
READ MORE: MN sheriff says ICE was too busy in Twin Cities to pick man accused of sex crime
Dakota County Sheriff calls out "inaccurate" statements made by ICE
Dakota County Sheriff Joseph Leko joins All Day to talk about "inaccurate" claims ice is making about local sheriff departments in Minnesota.Â
Bovino said ICE is working hard to take criminals off the street. He spoke about working with ICE agents on Wednesday, saying throughout the shift it was a "running battle" with "extremists" while conducting "targeted" operations to arrest people in the U.S. illegally. He said officers were "stalked" by constitutional observers and protesters, calling them "violent mobs of rioters."
"Our very last stop at a gas station was met with violence. Individuals that perpetrated violence against our Border Patrol agents, forcing us to take action," Bovino said, noting they used "less lethal" devices against the "agitators and rioters."
He said situations like this are unsafe for law enforcement and prevent them from their mission of taking criminals off the streets.
Bovino said DHS conducts legal, ethical and moral operations in Minnesota, adding they did not detain a 5-year-old in Columbia Heights, and he'd need more information on the incident. Columbia Heights schools said a 5-year-old boy was used as "bait" and was detained along with his father. The incident went viral on social media. Three other students from the district have also been detained.
READ MORE: ICE detains 5-year-old boy, 3 other students in Columbia Heights
Bovino said "several thousand" federal officials are in Minnesota currently but would not provide an exact number.
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When asked about entering homes without a judicial warrant, Charles said they do not break into people's homes. They enter when needed with administrative arrest warrants or judicial warrants. He would not share how many homes they've entered using force.
"We don't break into anybody's homes. We make entry in either a hot pursuit with a criminal arrest warrant or an administrative arrest warrant," Charles said.
Doorbell camera footage shows ICE agents at Shakopee home
Video from a doorbell security camera shows federal agents entering a Shakopee home, where they reportedly detained one man. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the full story.
8:30 a.m. - Arrests made in protest at St. Paul church
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday said authorities have made two arrests in connection to the protest at Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday.
READ MORE: St. Paul church protest: Twin Cities activists arrested
Bondi says activist and attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong has been arrested. Bondi accused her of playing a "key role" in "organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul." It's unclear if Armstrong has been formally charged.
Chauntyll Louisa Allen was also taken into custody. It's unclear if Allen has been formally charged.
On Sunday, activists from the Racial Justice Network staged a protest at the church against Pastor David Easterwood, who they said is also the acting ICE field office director in Minnesota. The DOJ said it would investigate, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on Jan. 20 arrests would be coming soon.
Meanwhile, activists call for the pastor at a St. Paul church to resign over a possible conflict with being in ICE leadership enforcement.
DOJ investigating anti-ICE protest during St. Paul church service
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating possible civil rights violations after anti-ICE protesters disrupted a St. Paul church service on Sunday. Protesters pushed their way into Cities Church on Summit Avenue to oppose a pastor who they say serves as the field office director for ICE in Minnesota.
7:20 a.m. - Federal officials to prove updates
Federal officials will be in Minnesota on Thursday to provide updates on the ICE surge.
At 9 a.m., Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations leader Marcos Charles will hold a joint news conference on operations in Minneapolis.
Then, Thursday morning, Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Minneapolis to speak about ICE operations and hold a round table. The timing of this event is unclear, but you can watch it live in the player above and here.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Corrections is expected to hold a news conference on ICE detainers at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
VP Vance coming to MN to show support for ICE
Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Minnesota on Thursday to show support for ICE and hold a roundtable with local leaders. Here's what to expect with his visit.Â
7 a.m. - Feds must honor constitutional rights, Sen. Latz says
Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) released a statement Thursday morning, saying federal authorities must honor constitutional rights of all Minnesotans, even detainees.
Here's his full statement:
"Every Minnesotan, regardless of immigration status, has rights outlined in our Constitution that include the right against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due process, and the right to seek counsel. Federal agents and officials swore an oath to honor and uphold our Constitution, and I’m calling on them to do so," said Sen. Latz. "If federal partners are violating this oath and depriving Minnesotans of these rights, they must be held accountable to the full extent of the law."