St. Paul community outraged after masked federal agents raid Bro Tex workplace
Confusion, fear and anger erupted in St. Paul after masked federal agents carried out a raid at Bro Tex, detaining workers and leaving families desperate for answers. With agencies offering few details and officials stressing they were not informed, civil rights advocates warn that the operation undermined trust, targeted immigrant workers and heightened tensions across Black, Brown and working class communities.
It has become increasingly difficult for residents to determine who is operating federal raids under the Trump administration, as agents often wear masks, lack name plates, and use generic “POLICE” markings on their gear. That confusion was on full display Nov. 18 when federal agents raided Bro-Tex, an industrial paper products manufacturer at 800 N. Hampden Ave. in St. Paul, detaining multiple workers and drawing a swift public outcry.
For workers and nearby residents, the chaos began suddenly. Alejandra Villagrana and Erik Alacorn rushed to the scene after hearing that relatives employed at Bro-Tex had been detained.
“I was at work. My uncle was also one of the ones that were taken,” Villagrana told WCCO-TV, adding that he works two jobs to support their family.
“If working in this country is a crime, then God forbid these people are criminals,” Alacorn told the Star Tribune. “But everyone here has worked for more than 20 years.”
Federal authorities later confirmed that the raid was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with assistance from FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration personnel. The operation escalated quickly as protesters arrived, and witnesses reported agents firing pepper balls and using chemical irritants on some demonstrators.
Estimates of how many workers were detained vary widely. Federal agencies have released few details about the purpose of the raid or the number of individuals taken into custody, adding to the confusion.
Alacorn said his mother, who began working at Bro-Tex in 1999, was among those terrified by the events. “This is her first job,” he said.
Masked agents wearing tactical vests labeled only “POLICE” moved across the property throughout the morning. St. Paul officials stressed repeatedly that city officers were not involved.
“It’s really unfortunate, because we work hard to make sure folks know that our St. Paul police officers will never be ICE agents,” Mayor Melvin Carter said.
Mayor-elect Kaholy Her said she received no advance notice of the operation and spent the morning trying to confirm who was on the ground. “You know, the federal agents were wearing gear labeled as police, which is not standard issue for our St. Paul Police Department,” Her said.
“When federal agents mislabel themselves, it creates confusion, undermines trust, and raises fundamental questions about who those officers really are.”
Civil rights observers with COPAL were among the first to arrive. Ryan Perez, the group’s director, said they began receiving reports around 9 a.m. from Newell Park, where agents appeared to be staging.
“People start shouting, ‘It’s ICE,’ ‘It’s police,’ ‘It’s FBI,’ and it’s intentionally very confusing,” Perez said. He said observers photographed ICE agents in uniform and described one call from a young resident whose father and uncle were “forcefully zip-tied and removed.”
Advocacy groups condemned the use of masked, unidentified agents. “We need lawmakers to defend Minnesota’s communities,” said Madeline Lohman of The Advocates for Human Rights. “We do not want to live in communities where public safety has been thrown away in order to terrorize our immigrant neighbors.”
Deepinder Singh Mayell, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, said constitutional protections apply regardless of which agency is conducting an operation. “It does not matter what uniform you wear … Every person has rights,” Mayell said.
“We have the right to free speech, we have the right to assemble, we have the right to due process, and we have the right to be free from excessive force.”
Residents described both physical and emotional injuries in the aftermath. “It looked brutal,” said Isabella Cornelius, who saw several people receiving medical attention.
Lindsay Hansen, who works nearby, said arriving at the scene was “soul-crushing.” “It very much feels like they’re targeting brown people,” Hansen said. “I’ve worked down the street for six years … I’ve never felt unsafe until now.”
Local elected officials pledged to respond. St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim said she plans to introduce budget amendments to restore funding for naturalization services and the city’s immigration defense fund.
“We deserve safety, dignity, and the freedom to work and live and breathe without fear,” Kim said.
State Sen. Zaynab Mohammed was more blunt: “What we witnessed here yesterday is what an authoritarian government looks like.”
When on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump framed his proposed mass-deportation plans as necessary to protect job opportunities for Black Americans, claiming migrants are “taking Black jobs.” Meanwhile, unemployment among Black Minnesotans rose to 7.7% this year, up from 5.2% last year. Nationally, unemployment among Black Americans increased to 7.5%, up from 6% the year before.
Federal agencies did not respond to requests for further details about the Bro-Tex operation.
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What difference does it make “WHAT” department they are from. They are Law Enforcement, be quiet and do what they say!!!