Immigration agents stopped off-duty officers in Minnesota "solely because of the color of their skin," a group of local police chiefs alleged, as concern grows over theongoing immigration enforcement in the state.
American citizens are being stopped "on the streets with no cause and being forced to produce paperwork to determine if they are here legally," said Mark Bruley, chief of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, which operates in a suburb north of Minneapolis.
He added that police officers "fell victim to this while off duty" and that the stops appear to "target" people of color.
Federal agents continue surge of immigration enforcement in Minnesota
In one encounter, a Brooklyn Park police officer was boxed in by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who "demanded her paperwork," Bruley said.
Agents "had their guns drawn," he said, adding that one agent knocked the police officer's phone out of her hand when she tried to record the interaction.
"I wish I could tell you this was an isolated incident," Bruley said, flanked by several local chiefs of police. "If it is happening to our officers, it pains me to think of how many of our community members are falling victim to this every day. It has to stop."
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The police chiefs' remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of the tactics being used by federal immigration agents after the fatal shooting ofRenee Nicole Goodon Jan. 7.
Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem, have defended the actions of federal agents in recent weeks, insisting that operations are targeted. Noem and other Homeland Security officials have said that people near their alleged targets may be subject to questioning.
"In every situation we are doing targeted enforcement," said Noem while speaking to reporters on Jan. 15. "If we are on a target and doing an operation, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal who we may be asking who they are and why they're there and having them validate their identity."
Axel Henry, chief of the Saint Paul Police Department, spoke at the Jan. 20 news conference and raised concerns about federal agents' actions.
See ICE protests around country sparked after Minnesota shooting death
"We've had employees for our city that have experienced some of the same things. Thankfully not with firearms drawn, but traffic stops that were clearly outside the bounds of what federal agents are allowed to do," Henry said.
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"These processes are clearly failing if American citizens are being grabbed or stopped or seized," Henry added. "This can't happen."
About 3,000 immigration agents are in Minnesota as part of "Operation Metro Surge," which officials have called the "largest immigration operation ever." According to the Department of Homeland Security, at least 3,000 undocumented immigrants have been arrested since the operation began in December.
USA TODAY could not immediately verify those figures as the agency does not release the names of most of those arrested or the breakdown of their charges.
Since the fatal shooting of Good,tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protestthe immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and cities nationwide. Rapid response groups have also fanned out across Minnesota, following masked agents and unmarked vans to record the actions of federal agents.
Minnesota Gov.Tim Walzencouraged civilians to protest peacefully and record federal agents for "future prosecution."
Local police leaders seemed to doubt that any actions taken by federal immigration agents could lead to criminal charges, saying that federal officers are largely immune from prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties.
Bruley, of Brooklyn Park, said he's been met by confusion and more questions when he's tried to get answers from the Department of Homeland Security.
"When you call ICE leadership or you call Border Patrol leadership … they're unable to tell you what their people were doing that day," he said. "They like to give you a website to go file a complaint, but the complaint requires the identity of the agents. The agents don't have nametags on, they cover their faces."
Bruley said while most federal agents are "doing focused, legitimate immigration work," it appears "there are groups that seem to have less supervision." He did not elaborate on the "groups" but said the most aggressive enforcement didn't begin until after the deadly shooting of Good.
The state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking tohalt the ongoing immigration enforcement. A judge declined to issue an emergency injunction expelling the agents.
In a separate case filed in December, the samejudge barred federal agents from using pepper sprayor arresting peaceful protesters in Minnesota, finding sufficient evidence that agents had used "intimidation tactics," such as the "drawing and pointing of weapons; the use of pepper spray and other non-lethal munitions," according to an order filed in federal court.
Christopher Cann is a national breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him via email at ccann@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Local cops among those targeted by immigration agents in Minnesota