ICE arrests Robbinsdale man in his yard without warrant
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Federal immigration agents arrested a man in Robbinsdale early Wednesday morning without a warrant, according to a petition for his release filed in federal court.
In a video from a neighbor that was shared widely on social media, two agents — including one in a face mask — are seen handcuffing the man as he sits in his front yard. Family members joined the man, Jose Ruelas Viorato, on the front steps.
“He’s in the process of getting papers,” a young woman says through tears. “Why are you taking him?”
“We understand, and we’re about to look him up,” one agent answers.
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At one point, as agents handcuff Ruelas Viorato, he places a hand on one of the agent’s legs. The agent punches him in the face.
According to a habeas corpus petition, Ruelas Viorato has lived in Minnesota for nearly 30 years. He and his partner run a cleaning business, and he volunteers at a Minneapolis animal shelter twice a week.
The petition, filed by attorney Carrie Huxford Peltier, states Ruelas Viorato also has a legal path to citizenship. His father, a legal permanent resident, filed paperwork for him in 1999 when Ruelas Viorato was 17 years old. He also has immediate family who are U.S. citizens who could petition for his legal permanent residence.
The petition also states agents did not have a warrant for his arrest and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has never attempted to deport him. A court records search shows he’s received several parking and traffic tickets over the last decade but has never been charged with any other crimes.
“The agents did not know who Mr. Ruelas Viorato was,” Peltier wrote in the petition. “Their vehicles pulled up behind him as he parked in front of his house; armed men jumped out and ran at him.”
Ruelas Viorato then ran toward his front door, according to the petition, and agents chased him.
“When they asked why he had run, he told them the truth: because men with guns were chasing him,” the petition reads.
Peltier argues he should be released immediately, as agents did not have a warrant to arrest him.
Robbinsdale City Council member Alejandro Cáceres-Aranda got a call from the family’s neighbor shortly after the arrest. He said he and the family believe agents followed Ruelas Viorato home from a nearby Hy-Vee, where he’d gone to get groceries.
“I don't know if they ran his plates, maybe … saw that he was Latino, and they started following him just based on racial profiling, which is what I and the family think is what happened,” Cáceres-Aranda said.
The family lives in his ward, and he spent the day helping them find an attorney and figure out where Ruelas Viorato was.
Cáceres-Aranda said the family went to the federal Whipple building, where they had trouble getting answers since the building was closed for Veterans Day.
“So we're trying to get a hold of Whipple, trying to call them, [the call] goes straight to voicemail because of the holiday,” Cáceres-Aranda said.
Ruelas Viorato was eventually able to call his family from Whipple. Shortly after, he was moved to the Sherburne County jail, where he remains in custody.
Cáceres-Aranda said it reminded him of the height of Operation Metro Surge last winter. In recent weeks, he’s heard reports of ICE vehicles spotted out on the streets but said he hasn’t heard about an arrest in the community in the last couple of months. The incident sparked a new round of fear, he said.
“This was so weird to me,” Cáceres-Aranda said. “Even neighbors are scared. I mean, we see what happened with Renee Good and Alex Pretti … lives have been lost because of this, and people definitely have that in the back of their mind.”
But he said he appreciated the family’s neighbors and friends for stepping in to video and offer help right away.
“A lot of neighbors were just coming in and out of the house — close family and friends — and they kept their door open,” Cáceres-Aranda said.
The family has started a fundraiser to cover legal fees, while they await a federal judge’s ruling on the petition for his release.
