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When a federal operation unfolded Tuesday at a home in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul, DFL State Representative Athena Hollins was at the scene alongside protesters. Hollins represents the district. 

Photos taken at the scene show at least three agents from Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. St. Paul Police were also there. 

She said the protest started out peacefully.

“Folks chanting, folks standing in solidarity, linked up, arm in arm, trying to create some sort of barrier for federal agents,” she said.

“In response to that peaceful protest, we were tear-gassed and we were pepper-sprayed, and it was horrible.”

MPR News host Clay Masters spoke to Hollins on Tuesday’s All Things Considered about what she saw. A transcript of the conversation is below, edited for time and clarity. Press play above to listen.

What have you heard about the nature of this operation today and what federal agents were targeting?

My understanding is that there was an individual who is being targeted, that there is potentially a criminal warrant out for that individual for a minor infraction. I don't have much more information than that, but I would say that the use of force and the amount of resources that went into apprehending this singular individual who had a nonviolent record, allegedly, was astronomical and really uncalled for.

And can you describe just what you saw when you were out there today?

Yeah, absolutely. It was, for the most part, a peaceful protest. You know, folks chanting, folks standing in solidarity, linked up, arm in arm, trying to create some sort of barrier for federal agents to take the person away from the house. And I will say that, in response to that peaceful protest, we were tear-gassed and we were pepper-sprayed, and it was horrible.

And you were among those who were tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed. 

Rubber bullets, pepper balls and chemical irritants were deployed at the scene, and an MPR journalist was among those injured and sent to the hospital. What do you know about why the situation escalated today? Or it sounds like you're not even sure, and you're going to be looking for those answers.

I'm definitely looking for those answers, and I'm also trying to understand why a lot of the chemical irritants that were used were deployed by our St. Paul Police Department, especially given that we are supposedly a sanctuary city that was not supposed to be engaging in these activities or supporting ICE and federal agents and what they're doing. 

So, I have a lot of questions about the responsibility of my city in this circumstance. What I will say is, at least when I got there, it was all very peaceful. There was nothing violent happening. 

I know that things did, I will say towards the end, escalate in a way. You know, there was still tear gas and pepper spray being used, even before folks had escalated, but it certainly got worse at the end. And I will say that in my mind, there's absolutely no cause for a peaceful protest to deteriorate in that way, and I don't think it is helped by St. Paul Police tear gassing its own citizens.

So do you believe St. Paul Police violated the separation ordinance today that is currently in place?

You know, I we're looking into it, and I'm asking for answers from both the mayor as well as the police chief. I know what I saw and what I experienced, and that was being sprayed point-blank by pepper spray by the St Paul Police Department, and I find that incredibly disheartening.

You are on the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee in the Minnesota House as a state lawmaker. Is there any kind of role you think the Legislature needs to put in here to address how federal law enforcement actions play out in Minnesota when you reconvene in February of next year?

Yeah. I mean, I think that we need to talk about it as a group, and we are working to try to figure out how to address these things in the most proactive way possible. Of course, as you know, there is a supremacy clause that means that federal agents in federal law trump what happens at the state level.

That being said, I think there's still room for us to tighten up some of the loopholes that we found that are in place where federal agents are not abiding by the very clear rules and laws that we have in place for law enforcement agencies and just people in general. So I think that there's going to be work done on this. Of course, the enforcement of it is going to be a whole other matter, and that's going to be a discussion both with local law enforcement as well as statewide law enforcement.

In early October, there was an ICE raid that also happened in your district and resulted in the arrests of several people. I'm interested in the conversations that you’re having with your constituents. What do those look like in the light of these events?

Yeah, we've had a lot of interest from my constituents about getting involved and figuring out how to push back. And we always advise people to do that in a constitutional way, knowing their rights and making sure that they are engaged with organizations that are doing this work on the ground. 

And so I continue to encourage people to be a part of the conversation and to push back, and also to reach out to their elected officials and make sure that they know that this is something that's not acceptable in their communities.

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MPR News host Clay Masters spoke with Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, on Tuesday’s All Things Considered about what she saw. 

Rep. Hollins on St. Paul federal operation: 'In response to peaceful protest, we were tear gassed and pepper sprayed'

An officer sprays a chemical irritant out the window of a white van.

Rep. Hollins on federal operation in St. Paul, chemical irritants used on protestors

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