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Dear neighbor,
On June 3, 2025, there was a federal operation at Lake and Bloomington. Please be wary of those who are trying to downplay the trauma and pain our community experienced yesterday. These scenes were harmful and triggering and brought many people back to 2020. We are sending hugs and a lot of care to our community that was present and directly impacted by the federal enforcement actions.
When my office heard that federal agents and ICE were on Lake Street, we immediately ran to the scene. When arriving, agents did not want to immediately respond to answers. My office and I were on site to observe and witness firsthand the militarization of our community. There were armored vehicles on Lake Street, federal agents carrying assault rifles, and militarized law enforcement present for an operation carried out under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), in what they called a “groundbreaking criminal operation.”
While we wait for more info, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said this operation was in collaboration with local law enforcement and state partners, as well as the U.S. Border Patrol and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), who are responsible for enforcing immigration laws. Further, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, IRS-CI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Coast Guard, and TSA were also listed as partners.
Under the Minneapolis separation ordinance, the City does not operate its programs for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. Further, public safety officials shall not undertake any law enforcement action for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented people. While on site, I witnessed ICE agents, MPD helping to close the area off by handing closing tape to those conducting the operation, and assisting with crowd control. The events that took place yesterday showed that the separation ordinance did not protect us.
No matter what type of raid this was, it's clear that communication fell short, the City’s response did not keep people safe, and the Minneapolis Police Department’s presence with ICE agents was harmful to rebuilding community relations.
We are living in a time when the official Trump administration policy is that all undocumented people are “criminals.” Our community is already concerned about the validity of claims being made by the federal government. If this is how the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department and the Minneapolis Police Department are going to respond to similar situations if and when they arise again in the future, then there must be questions about, and changes to, this approach. Assisting with crowd control is assisting ICE.
Minneapolis residents have the right to express themselves and gather information. That is why we showed up to record, take photos, and ask questions. We stood in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, demonstrating that when our community is attacked, we come together and respond. Unfortunately, MPD’s actions made it more difficult for residents and legal observers to monitor and document these actions.
If it feels like you are being gaslit when leadership tells you not to worry about immigration enforcement, I am right there with you. I was on the ground alongside the people who came out in the rain and some of the worst air quality in the country to stand up for our neighbors. I saw firsthand a number of law enforcement personnel with ICE badges. I saw firsthand the disregard that many of those personnel held for the safety and wellbeing of our neighbors. And I saw firsthand the trauma and fear that a militarized law enforcement presence triggered for our community, which is still searching for answers that remain after the 2020 uprising. From my perspective, it felt like fear and intimidation were the point. It felt like the Trump administration was sending a message to Minneapolis and the Phillips and Powderhorn communities. And to see MPD right there alongside those federal agents felt like the ultimate betrayal.
Community members were shoved, thrown to the ground, pepper sprayed, and threatened with arrest. While we don’t have to accept it, we know that the Trump administration wants to bring harm to our communities. But we must expect more from our local governments. Dismissing the perceptions of our community is not how to build the trust that was lost in 2020. One way to rebuild that trust is by standing up to the Trump administration and telling them, “Not in our city.”
While we continue to gather all the facts, it is important to understand that in future instances where immigration raids occur, MPD will unfortunately be assisting ICE by conducting crowd control. Tomorrow, my colleagues and I will be bringing forward a request to the City Auditor for an After-Action review of the events that took place at Lake and Bloomington yesterday. But we know that that is not enough to ensure the safety and security of our neighbors. I will continue to work with my colleagues on other actions we can take on behalf of our communities to address these concerns. But most importantly, I will continue to work with community leaders and residents on the ground who are directly impacted by actions like this.
Sincerely,
Jason Chavez
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