Minneapolis City Council members Jason Chavez, Elliot Payne, and Robin Wonsley said Nov. 14 that local police could, and should, arrest federal agents if they fail to identify themselves or wear face coverings.
Their comments come as the city prepares to negotiate a new police contract, set to expire in December. Members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) have long pushed for a stronger separation ordinance to prevent Minneapolis police from sharing information with federal immigration authorities or assisting with crowd control.
The call for stronger measures follows a city auditor’s report that concluded police did not violate the existing separation ordinance during a June 3 raid on Lake Street. Immigrant rights advocates say the ordinance needs enforceable consequences for officers who violate it.
“We need that contract to include real, enforceable consequences for any officer who collaborates with ICE or violates our separation ordinance,” said MIRAC member Myrka Zambrano.
“I stand with our immigrant neighbors who are demanding the city update what we have found to be a 20-year-old ordinance,” said Wonsley, who serves on the Enterprise Oversight Committee.
At a press conference at the Public Service Center, Wonsley said the Mayor’s Office has deflected accountability to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the Department of Justice, which dismissed a federal consent decree last summer.
“We need to codify discipline, actions, and consequences in the police contract when officers are found to have violated our separation ordinance,” Wonsley said.
Chavez also called for an updated city ordinance with stronger penalties for officers who fail to comply. “We know that a police union contract with language codifying violations is something we desperately need. If it’s in the contract, there will be real consequences for violations, especially under a Trump administration,” he said.
At a press conference last month at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, where immigration court is held, Department of Homeland Security adviser Kristi Noem criticized Minneapolis’ separation policies. “Under the leadership of Mayor Frey and Gov. Walz, more violent crimes are being perpetuated in these communities because of their refusal to defend American citizens,” Noem said. Journalists from the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and Sahan Journal were denied press access at that event.
“Good legal research has shown that local law enforcement can arrest ICE and other federal agents if they violate the law,” said Michelle Gross of Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract. “We are demanding that it be codified in policy and enforced through the police contract.”
Mayor Jacob Frey rejected the idea at a recent mayoral debate, saying, “That would be dangerous. That would be irresponsible.”
In response, MIRAC member Dieu Do dismissed the mayor’s comments. “I don’t really care what he has to say because he’s not doing anything anyways,” Do said. “When he comes back with a list of ways he’s going to protect immigrants, then we’re going to listen.”
Other politicians outside Minnesota have floated similar ideas. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have suggested arresting federal agents who violate California’s ban on ICE agents wearing masks, set to take effect next year. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche warned of a potential standoff with the White House.
“The job of our Minneapolis Police is to protect us, not federal agents that come here to harm our community,” said Gross.
Council President Payne emphasized accountability: “I am very much on record in holding any agent of any agency accountable to our laws and arresting them if they break our laws.”
As of this writing, neither the City Attorney’s Office nor the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office had responded to inquiries about arresting federal agents.
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The Mpls city council is full of Marxist