Officials concerned about federal search on Lake Street in Minneapolis
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Some current and former public officials are raising concerns about the way authorities carried out a search of a south Minneapolis restaurant Tuesday.
Agents from the FBI, ATF, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and other agencies rolled up in armored vehicles and tactical gear on a busy stretch of Lake Street in the middle of the day, leading many people in the heavily Latino area to believe that an immigration raid was underway. Public officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, said after the search began that the operation was not related to immigration enforcement.
Federal agents and sheriff's deputies — some wearing masks — arrived at the Taqueria y Birreria Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue just before noon.
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said Wednesday that agents served eight search warrants at locations across the Twin Cities metro area as part of a large narcotics, human trafficking and money laundering investigation.
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Some of the agents who took part in the search on Lake Street wore ICE insignia, and dozens of people came out to protest. At least one officer — it’s unclear from which agency — deployed a chemical irritant when demonstrators threw objects including tires and a garbage can as law enforcement tried to leave the area.
In a statement Tuesday, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt said that HSI was leading this investigation in partnership with ten other agencies, including ICE, as well as local law enforcement.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is involved in the investigation.
In an interview with Minnesota Now on Wednesday, Sheriff Witt said she has concerns about how the operation was carried out, particularly the presence of armored vehicles.
“I’m going to be having those conversations with our partners to let them know we here, the community that us local law enforcement work in, know how to better handle these type of situations.”
Witt added that the sheriff's office does not work with ICE on immigration enforcement.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty leveled heavy criticism at ICE, writing in a statement that “ICE is being deployed to terrorize people.”
“ICE’s presence will keep people from reporting crimes, from testifying as witnesses, and from seeking help. Local law enforcement should remember that and be clear and transparent with community about what assistance they are or are not willing to provide to federal agencies,” Moriarty added.
Minneapolis police were not part of the search. But MPD said Tuesday that federal agencies asked them to assist with crowd control.
In a statement Wednesday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the operation and the community response revealed how intense the issue of immigration enforcement remains in the city.
“While the federal operation was not related to immigration enforcement, the manner in which it was executed was tone deaf to the reality of tensions and fear in our community,” O’Hara said. “I have communicated my concerns directly to our federal partners.”
O’Hara said later Tuesday afternoon, two people were arrested for assaulting a police officer.
B. Todd Jones, who served as Minnesota U.S. Attorney under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and led the ATF under Obama, told MPR News in a phone interview on Wednesday that he was surprised to see such a heavy tactical presence in the middle of the day in a densely populated area.
“Usually when law enforcement is that strapped up and that tactical, usually you expect that maybe there’s going to be something bad that’s going to happen in executing the warrant.”
Jones said agents usually execute high-risk searches early in the morning, but adds that he doesn’t want to speculate about why agents arrived on Lake Street in the middle of the day.
