Why are there federal agents at the Minnesota State Fair?
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Minnesota State Fair officials say people seen wearing Homeland Security uniforms at the fair are agents with the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Air Marshal Service. The clarification comes after photos of the agents spread on social media.
Many fairgoers voiced concerns on social media, citing last winter’s federal immigration surge. Fair officials say the agents are not involved in immigration enforcement.
We spoke to fair police and TSA to learn more.
Are they working with ICE?
Tess Hawkins, the Supervisory Air Marshal in charge of the Minneapolis field office, said they are not working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and are also not sharing any information with them.
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“There has been a lot of misinformation that's been placed on social media outlets, and I think that it's really important for the public to know that,” she said. “There are nine operational entities that fall under that umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, which is the law enforcement arm. The Federal Air Marshal Service is one of those nine, and we all have different mission sets, and ours is focused on that transportation security nexus.”
State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla echoed Hawkin’s remarks.
“We don't have a partnership with ICE,” Knafla said. “They are not one of our public safety partners here at the fair, and the TSA and the federal air marshals are completely separate from ICE, so again, they're a great resource for us and a great partner.”
What does TSA do at the fair?
TSA and the Federal Air Marshal Service have partnered with law enforcement at the fair for the past four years, according to Knafla and Hawkins. Hawkins said TSA’s role at the fair is to support public safety and transportation security.
Hawkins said they work closely with the Metro Transit team, Minnesota State Troopers and the state's valley transit authority. One of the services TSA provides at the fair is drone detection.
“Our primary focus is that transportation nexus, and to make sure that the nearly 45 to 50 percent of all fairgoers who decide and elect to take public transportation arrive safely,” she said.
She added that agents also help at the bus transit gate, making sure people getting on and off buses arrive and leave safely.
“For every TSA agent that we have out here watching our buses, it's one less officer I have to take out of the fairgrounds to put out here,” Knafla said. “That helps provide more officers inside the fairgrounds, and really the TSA that's their specialized mission, so why wouldn't we use the people that have that specialty to patrol and provide safety and security at our transit hub.”
Gabriel and Nate, two TSA agents who could not give their full names because their identities are kept anonymous when they fly, said they also handle nuclear detection. They walk through bus drop-off areas and said part of their job is “keeping the peace.”
Do they have immigration enforcement authority?
They do not, according to Knafla.
“We have no knowledge of anybody from ICE being on the fairgrounds, and quite frankly, in the 38 years I've worked here, I don't know that it's ever happened, so I can't think of a time that it did, and it's not happening now,” he said.
