Federal raid stirs debate on Minneapolis' limits on helping ICE
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Protestors briefly shut down the Bloomington-Lake intersection in front of the Minneapolis taqueria that a federally led task force raided Tuesday. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Some Minneapolis and Hennepin County elected leaders are questioning why local law enforcement officers were on the scene of a federally led raid Tuesday that involved agents from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Why it matters: The incident highlights a challenge facing city and county officials who have vowed not to assist federal law enforcement with the immigration crackdown President Trump has promised, but who also work with federal agencies to investigate other types of crime.
- The raid rattled a South Minneapolis neighborhood that has long been a hub for immigrants, and where Trump's rhetoric has already put many residents on edge.
Catch up quick: On Tuesday, a federal task force — including some agents wearing ICE badges, though other agencies including the FBI were on-scene — raided a taqueria on East Lake Street on what the Minneapolis Police Department said was a warrant "for drugs and money laundering."
- ICE Homeland Security Investigations led the operation, which showed "how we confront complex, multidimensional threats ... from drug smuggling to criminal labor trafficking," the agency's St. Paul Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt wrote in a statement to Axios.
- The search "was not related to any immigration enforcement," read a statement from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, which had "partnered" with the federal agencies on the "criminal investigation."
The fine print: ICE Homeland Security Investigations' statement listed "state partners" and "local law enforcement" as being involved with the task force, which included federal agencies like the U.S. Attorney's Office and Drug Enforcement Administration.
- A spokesperson for Gov. Tim Walz told Axios his administration and agencies were not involved or informed in advance.
Context: The raid was one of eight related search warrants the task force executed across Minnesota, the Star Tribune reported.
Zoom in: MPD wasn't involved in the search, but officers were called in "more than an hour after the operation began" to provide crowd control as protesters gathered around the agents, according to a statement from Chief Brian O'Hara.
- "MPD showed up to ensure the crowd and surrounding area remained safe, which is their job," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement.
Friction point: Minneapolis has a "separation ordinance" that blocks MPD officers from participating in enforcement of federal immigration laws.
- That led many protestors, immigration advocates and critics of Frey to wonder why MPD officers were on the same scene as ICE agents.
What they're saying: "Minneapolis has one of the strongest separation ordinances in the country. But yesterday, we saw its weaknesses," posted DFL State Sen. Omar Fateh, who's running against Frey in the November election.
- Fateh and two other mayoral candidates — Jazz Hampton and DeWayne Davis — were present for the protests, a sign of the raid's broader political significance.
Frey pushed back, accusing opponents of making "inflammatory statements before the facts were known," which "spread fear and panic instead of countering it."
- "It's a good recipe for viral content. But it also erodes trust in government," the mayor wrote on Instagram.
The intrigue: Some eyewitnesses "noted that MPD officers were present before the larger crowd showed up," according to a statement from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).
- But the first bulletin sent to officers at 9:57am included the instruction "No MPD assistance," according to a dispatch log spokesperson Sgt. Garrett Parten shared with Axios.
- The FBI contacted MPD again at 11:14am to request help with crowd control, Parten added.
Zoom out: "Whether or not this was technically an immigration enforcement operation ... the real-world impact was an attack on immigrants," MIRAC's statement continued.
- On WCCO Radio on Wednesday, Frey also criticized the federal agents' heavily militarized presence, saying their assault rifles and armored vehicles — "like something out of Afghanistan" — appeared aimed at intimidating residents.
- "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.
What we're watching: In a post on X, City Council President Elliott Payne said his colleagues would explore "how we can strengthen our separation ordinance to ensure that this never happens again."
- A spokesperson told Axios that Frey hasn't received any proposals to change the separation ordinance, "so he is unable to comment."
- "MPD operates under the city's separation ordinance and does not participate in the enforcement of federal immigration laws," O'Hara said.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional statements from MPD and O'Hara.