By STEVE KARNOWSKI and MARK VANCLEAVE
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dozens of protesters converged within the coronary heart of the Latino neighborhood in Minneapolis on Tuesday after a big power of federal and native authorities carrying tactical gear carried out what they known as a regulation enforcement motion.
The protesters flocked to the world close to a Mexican restaurant and different Latino-owned companies after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a metropolis that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. Nonetheless, statements from native authorities stated it was not an immigration enforcement matter, however a prison case.
“Whereas we’re nonetheless gathering particulars, this incident was associated to a prison search warrant for medicine and cash laundering and was not associated to immigration enforcement,” Mayor Jacob Frey stated in a Fb put up quickly after the police motion. “No arrests have been made.”
However a number of dozen protesters remained on the intersection occupied by federal brokers hours earlier, utilizing automobiles to dam visitors. A couple of held indicators saying “abolish ICE” and “cease the deportations.”
A driver went by means of the gang. At the least one particular person appeared to have been knocked to the bottom however obtained up and stated they have been OK. Protesters deflated the automobile’s tires; police moved in to take the motive force away, and a scuffle ensued. At the least one man was taken into custody.
Bystander video confirmed officers carrying logos from native businesses but in addition federal ones, together with the FBI and Homeland Safety Investigations. An armored automobile on the scene bore the initials of Homeland Safety Investigations. Minneapolis’ police chief additionally was current.
Michelle Gross, president of the native Communities United In opposition to Police Brutality group, stated the present of power appeared designed to “terrorize folks into submission.”
“That is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren’t having it in our metropolis,” she stated.
Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works locally, stated it already had been on edge due to raids. It’s tight-knit, and “if one thing occurs, we learn about it,” she stated.
“That they had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that’s fairly extreme,” Davila stated. “After which coming right into a brown neighborhood and doing this, as a result of we have now all types of immigrants, not simply Latinos.”
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Protesters confront ICE, ATF, and FBI officers as federal brokers conduct an operation in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio by way of AP)
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Protesters confront ICE, ATF, and FBI officers as federal brokers conduct an operation in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio by way of AP)
Whereas the mayor stated there have been no arrests, a number of protesters have been not less than briefly detained as tensions grew between the gang and the regulation enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his digital camera damaged.
A Fb put up from the sheriff’s workplace stated it “partnered with federal businesses on a prison investigation and a part of that investigation included the execution of a number of search warrants at a number of places within the metro space.”
Frey stated the police division’s solely function was serving to with crowd management, and that the division was not concerned in “something associated to immigration enforcement.” Each the police division and sheriff’s places of work have insurance policies towards cooperating with immigration enforcement actions.
The sheriff’s workplace stated that in conducting prison investigations, “We work with federal companions repeatedly.” A neighborhood FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a textual content message to offer particulars concerning the operation.
Related Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.
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