Scheduled Tribe. Paul, Min. (Fox 9) , A large crowd gathered in a St. Paul neighborhood Tuesday morning amid a federal law enforcement operation that protesters believed was an ICE raid.
ICE raid in St. Paul?
what do we know:
A crowd gathered outside a home in the area of Maryland Avenue East and Payne Avenue during an operation that involved federal officers, including ICE agents and the US Marshals Task Force. St. Paul police officers were also on the scene and assisting with riot control and crowd control.
Protesters held signs and chanted anti-ICE slogans as investigators worked inside a home.
Back story:
Agents were on the scene until at least 11 a.m. Tuesday, but the scene was cleared around 12:30 p.m.
As soon as they left, the police used tear gas to disperse the protesters blocking vehicles on the road.
What were the federal agents doing?
What we don’t know:
FOX 9 has not been able to confirm whether this operation was related to immigration enforcement or simply a criminal investigation. FOX 9 has contacted St. Paul Police, the City of St. Paul and the Department of Homeland Security for more information on the incident.
Agents at the scene told FOX 9’s Corinne Hoggard they were searching for two people in the area, one of whom ran away and went into a home.
Use of force by St. Paul police
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter reacts to federal raid (FULL)
A large crowd gathered in a St. Paul neighborhood amid a federal law enforcement operation in St. Paul that protesters believe was an ICE raid. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter went to the scene to assess the incident and said he was still trying to piece together the events.
What they are saying:
Outgoing St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter spoke to protesters after the raid, but told upset residents he still did not have full information about what happened.
“They don’t coordinate with us,” the mayor said. He said he was not aware of it until the raid took place. “They don’t give us advance notice… They show up on the scene, just like what they do across the country, create chaos and then leave. And then local communities are left to try to sort out the chaos.”
Protesters raised concerns to the mayor about the use of tear gas and pepper spray by St. Paul police officers conducting crowd control during the incident. Two state lawmakers, Representatives Athena Hollins and Lish Kozlowski, said they were pepper sprayed by St. Paul police.
Speaking to the media afterward, Carter said it was a frustrating situation for everyone involved. “Community members are frustrated. This is what we see ICE agents doing all over the country, creating nuisances, creating chaos, and leaving local communities trying to figure out how to deal with the trauma they create. This is part of the disturbing practice they create.”
Mayor Carter said his office would review the force used by St. Paul police officers to remove crowd members during the protest. “I believe our police department is good at holding itself accountable for actions, making sure our actions fall within our use of force policies.”
In a tweet, Gov. Walz said: “We are monitoring the situation in St. Paul and working to understand what happened. We have not received any information from federal authorities on this operation. While we are always willing to work together on public safety, this was clearly not the chaotic situation.”
Source: This story uses information gathered by FOX 9 online, from Mayor Melvin Carter and other officials at the scene in St. Paul.
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