Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused Minnesota officials on Tuesday of blocking the arrest of more than 1,360 illegal aliens with criminal histories by refusing to honor federal detainer requests at state and local jails.
ICE Acting Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations Marcos Charles said the sanctuary posture in Minnesota has forced federal agents to pursue criminal illegal in neighborhoods rather than in controlled jail settings — putting the public and officers at risk.
Charles specifically called on Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to reverse course and cooperate with ICE, arguing that local resistance is undermining public safety.
"If local officials don't want ICE arresting criminal aliens at large in their communities, the solution is simple," Charles said.
"Turn them over to us in a safe, controlled environment like a jail — instead of releasing them back onto the streets to victimize the neighborhoods where your children go to school, where your parents live, and where families worship, shop, and spend time with your loved ones."
Since President Donald Trump returned to office one year ago, Charles said Minnesota has released nearly 500 illegal immigrants from state or local custody instead of transferring them to ICE.
Many of those individuals, he said, had already received final orders of removal from immigration judges.
According to ICE, the agency currently has more than 1,360 active detainers lodged against illegal aliens being held in Minnesota jails and prisons.
Minnesota officials dispute ICE's numbers. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said Thursday that ICE's claims are "categorically false," noting that of roughly 8,000 inmates in state prisons, 207 are non-U.S. citizens, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
The department said it notifies ICE when inmates with detainers are scheduled for release and coordinates transfers when requested.
County jails, however, operate under different rules.
A legal opinion issued last year by Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison states that local law enforcement cannot hold inmates solely on civil ICE detainers.
Ellison has also said counties may voluntarily enter agreements with ICE.
Only seven of Minnesota's 87 counties currently cooperate with ICE: Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne.
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE operations focus on "criminal illegal aliens" convicted of serious crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and gang activity, as well as those with final deportation orders.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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