Item Description:
title
Denouncing the violent and unlawful actions by federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agencies in Hennepin County - Offered by Commissioners Conley, Fernando, and Edelson
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WHEREAS, on December 1, 2025, the Federal Government deployed a large-scale operation under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as “Operation Metro Surge”; and
WHEREAS, during December 1, 2025 to January 26, 2026, the presence of ICE across Minnesota dramatically expanded to over 3,000 federal agents with additional presence from CBP and other federal agencies, which is larger in number than several of the area’s top law agencies combined; and
WHEREAS, based on media reports, resident videos, and first-hand resident statements, Operation Metro Surge has targeted the apprehension and harassment of Somali, Latino and non-white residents in the Twin Cities, with numerous documented reports of residents and minors being stopped to provide proof of citizenship and some residents being detained even after providing documentation; and
<https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-sues-federal-government-to-end-ice-cbps-practice-of-suspicionless-stops-warrantless-arrests-and-racial-profiling-of-minnesotans>
WHEREAS, during this time, there have been numerous reports by the media, and in first-hand videos and statements from residents that residents of Hennepin County and across the state have been racially profiled, intimidated, physically assaulted, unlawfully removed from homes and private property, unlawfully apprehended, unlawfully detained by ICE agents, and retaliated against by ICE agents for observing and recording ICE activities; and
WHEREAS, ICE’s mission is conducting criminal investigation and enforcing immigration law; and
WHEREAS, ICE agents who have been deployed to Minnesota have broken state laws; and
WHEREAS, the tactics being used, high-visibility armed operations, arrests of individuals with no criminal history, arrests of individuals without due process or judicial warrants, detaining of children and minors without documentation, and enforcement activity occurring in and around schools, community spaces, places of worship, courtrooms and civic institutions, are undermining public safety rather than enhancing it; and
<https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/legal-scholars-concerns-ice-policy-homes-warrants/>
WHEREAS The Minnesota Department of Corrections has launched a new website to combat repeated false claims by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); and
https://mn.gov/doc/about/news/news-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/719911 R1 Fernando, Conley, Edelson BAR
WHEREAS, the current federal immigration enforcement operations underway in Minnesota this month are causing widespread fear, trauma, and disruption in our communities; and
WHEREAS, residents are reporting heightened anxiety, children are frightened at schools and libraries, workers are afraid to report to jobs, residents are afraid to attend religious gatherings, and community trust, carefully built over decades, is being rapidly eroded; and
WHEREAS, the presence of ICE and CBP in Hennepin County has deeply impacted the ability of many residents to experience public life without fear, including going to work, school, even leaving their homes; and
WHEREAS, the activities of ICE and CBP in Hennepin County have inhibited the ability of public-facing county workers to freely deliver county services without fear and with full, uncompromised access to residents; and
WHEREAS, on the morning of Wednesday, January 7th, an ICE agent killed Hennepin County resident Renee Nicole Good, shooting her multiple times as she was exercising her constitutional freedom to observe immigration enforcement activities in South Minneapolis; and
WHEREAS, Renee Nicole Good was a valued member of Hennepin County, an award winning poet, and is survived by her three children, wife, family, friends, and Minneapolis community; and
WHEREAS, on the evening of January 14th, an ICE agent shot a Hennepin County resident in the back of the leg at his residence in North Minneapolis who was mistakenly identified as a target for immigration enforcement; and
<https://www.startribune.com/fbi-reveals-how-mistaken-identity-by-ice-led-to-chase-shooting-of-venezuelan-immigrant-in-north-minneapolis/601567978>
WHEREAS, on the morning of January 15th, the U.S. President threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy U.S. military personnel to Minnesota to restore order, suppress protests, and aid immigration enforcement activities; and
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115899252938886431
WHEREAS, on Friday, January 23rd, mass mobilization efforts took place across Minnesota, which drew between 50,000 and 75,000 people to downtown Minneapolis to demonstrate against ICE’s unconstitutional and constitutionally questionable practices; no fatalities or vandalism were reported, and the most arrests reported on this date were 100 clergy at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport who were demonstrating against deportation flights; and
<https://fortune.com/2026/01/23/minneapolis-icy-ice-rally-sees-100-clergy-arrested-as-thousands-protest-federal-occupation/>
WHEREAS, on the morning of Saturday, January 24th, a CBP agent killed Hennepin County resident Alex Jeffrey Pretti, shooting him multiple times as he was exercising his R1 Fernando,
constitutional freedom to observe immigration enforcement activities in South Minneapolis; and
WHEREAS, Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a valued member of Hennepin County, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA who loved the outdoors and dedicated his life to serving others; and
WHEREAS the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has declared that federal agents under the supervision of DHS denied the BCA access to the scene of Alex Pretti’s killing even with a state court search warrant authorizing access to the scene to collect evidence; and
https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-shooting-minnesota-bca-says-dhs-blocked-shooting-scene
WHEREAS DHS Secretary posthumously described Renee Good’s behavior on the morning of her killing as an “act of domestic terrorism” and White House Deputy Chief of Staff posthumously described Alex Pretti as a “would-be assassin”, without any supporting evidence whatsoever; and
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/minneapolis-ice-agent-shooting-protesters-clash-fbi-investigation/
<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/republican-calls-are-growing-for-a-deeper-investigation-into-fatal-minneapolis-shooting-of-alex-pretti>
WHEREAS, on January 24th (hours after Alex Pretti’s killing), the United States Attorney General sent a letter to the Minnesota Governor with several “solutions” to “bring an end to the chaos in Minnesota” that are in violation of state and federal laws; specifically, demands for protected nonpublic data about residents, such as access to Minnesota voter rolls, as well as access to Minnesota Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs.
<https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/24/us/pam-bondi-walz-doc.html>
Resolution:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners denounces the violent and constitutionally questionable actions by ICE and CBP in Minnesota, the terror their presence has amassed, and the trauma federal agents have inflicted on residents; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners condemns the preventable and brutal killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, and calls for an independent or parallel investigation to be conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) as the expert agency through the specialized Force Investigations Unit (FIU); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners recognizes the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment that protects freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, and condemns the use of chemical irritants or less-lethal munitions as crowd dispersal tactics on peaceful protesters and press; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners calls on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to immediately suspend "Operate Metro Surge,”
end the influx of more than 3,000 federal immigration enforcement personnel and assets, remove them from Minnesota communities, and suspend enforcement tactics that inflict broad community harm and undermine trust; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners reaffirms support for staff and community who are witnessing and experiencing the onslaught of federal agents in the County, and is committed to providing services, connection, and care for every resident, regardless of background, language, or circumstance with a person-centered and trauma-informed methodology; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners reaffirms the County’s policy that “Third parties that desire to use county property for something other than county purposes must make a request for such use, get that use approved by Facility Services, and execute a use agreement. Hennepin County parking lots, parking ramps, vacant lots, or garages are not authorized for use as staging areas, processing locations, or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement” (Use of Space by the Public in County Facilities); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners directs the County Administrator to establish a structured response, encompassing both operational and legislative recommendations, to pursue the following outcomes with weekly email updates to Commissioners:
1. Develop a cohesive communications strategy for the County workforce, subsidiaries, and partners for the purpose of aligned and accurate messaging and to mitigate inaccurate information.
2. Establish a reporting mechanism for workers to report concerns regarding unconstitutional or unlawful activity that impact the safety, well-being, and rights of County clients, workers, partners, and residents.
3. Further review policies and procedures to identify adjustments needed to protect the safety, well-being, and rights of clients, workers, partners, and residents.
4. Aggregate federal orders or letters that the County and its subsidiaries have received, in order to brief Commissioners and develop strategies that balance organizational compliance with worker and resident safety.
5. Provide high level periodic updates on county impacts of Operation Metro Surge to members of the Hennepin County Congressional delegation.
6. Engage with State government partners to pursue After-Action reviews or other evaluative measures to gain multifaceted credible insights regarding the implementation and impacts from Operation Metro Surge, as well as to consider mechanisms to prevent or respond to a future influx of federal agents in our communities.
7. Engage directly with local government partners to (a) ensure open and regular lines of communication, (b) increase quantifiable understanding of workforce impacts and service disruptions, and (c) explore potential alignment for joint or coordinated work.
Recommendation from County Administrator: No Recommendation