ICE Dominates Resident Concerns at Dakota County Town Hall

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Driven by concern over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Dakota County, a crowd of at least 80 people attended a town hall meeting with County Commissioner Joe Atkins on Wednesday night. These meetings are a regular part of Atkins’ job (he opened the meeting by stating this was his 112th town hall meeting), but attendance was much higher than the usual couple dozen residents.

Also present were Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko, police chiefs from West St. Paul, South St. Paul, and Inver Grove Heights, and city and school officials including West St. Paul City Council Members Wendy Berry, Doug Fromm, and Pat Armon.

Atkins’ Opening Remarks

Commissioner Atkins opened the meeting by highlighting the county’s efficient government, low taxes, and many awards as well as their commitment to fighting fraud before turning to the subject of ICE, sharing the following facts:

• The federal government has released a list of over 2,400 names of people who have been taken during Operation Metro Surge. Of those 2,400, only 22 had convictions for violent crimes.
• Atkins estimates ICE is spending $785,000 per day in labor costs.
• Absenteeism at some county schools is currently at five times normal levels due to parents and students’ fear of ICE abductions.
• Many county businesses have temporarily closed.
• Major county public works projects, including a major upgrade to the Lake Byllesby hydroelectric dam, have been postponed because contractors are unwilling to come to job sites.
• Multiple county employees have been pulled over by ICE while on the job.
• Atkins introduced and passed a county resolution asking ICE to end enforcement activities in the county.

Resident Questions and Comments

After Atkins’ opening remarks, he opened the floor to questions and comments from residents. About 20 people spoke during the meeting, and Commissioner Atkins stayed after the official ending to speak privately with others.

Encounters with ICE

• One of the first people to speak described herself as a victim of ICE activity. She works at Home Depot and her children attend a Spanish immersion school. ICE has repeatedly taken contractors at Home Depot, and threatened her for following them when she was trying to pick her children up after school.
• One resident pointed out that she was one of the few non-white people in the room, before describing how ICE has been closely following her family. Her immigrant father is afraid to go to work, and she has repeatedly had to call the police to stop ICE from following her when out in public.
• One resident spoke of his experience protesting at the Whipple federal building, where he was beaten and sprayed with pepper spray. He showed his bruised forearms to the crowd.

Key Questions

• Who can citizens call when ICE is violating their rights?
  Multiple residents wondered if police would respond to ICE-related calls and what powers, if any, they had to to stop ICE activity.
  • Sheriff Leko responded to citizen concerns: “We don’t want you to feel afraid to call 911 if you are afraid of what’s happening. We can’t obstruct, but we can deescalate.” He also described constant efforts behind the scenes to get federal agencies to communicate better with local governments.
  • West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon had a simple response when asked what people should do if ICE comes to their door: “Don’t answer the door. Call 911. We’ll be there.” The room applauded this answer.
  • Inver Grove Heights Police Chief Melissa Chiodo added that despite high levels of ICE activity in her city, the police have received very few 911 or non-emergency calls about incidents. Instead, they hear about them from ICE or on social media. She encouraged people to call the police, even after the fact, to help them gather information.
• What can people do if they’re afraid to leave their homes for work or school?
  • In addition to encouraging people to call law enforcement, Commissioner Atkins also encouraged people to reach out to him personally. He’s been receiving many calls from people looking for resources, as well as from people looking for ways to help, and he’ll be happy to connect people and help them find resources they need.
  • A resident added that in his experience, the two things that will reliably change ICE behavior in the moment is the presence of local law enforcement or the presence of observers with cameras. He encouraged people to contact local observer groups.
• Are local police officers moonlighting as ICE agents?
  After reports surfaced on social media of Inver Grove Heights police officers working for ICE when off-duty, many residents had questions and concerns about this.
  • The sheriff and all police chiefs present vehemently denied these reports. All of them stated that police officers need individual approval from the chief for any kind of second job, and none of them have ever approved any work for ICE or other federal law enforcement.
  • Inver Grove Heights Police Chief Melissa Chiodo mentioned her previous role as an internal affairs officer in Minneapolis. “I fire bad cops. If there’s evidence that our cops are working for ICE, I want it.”
• Are ICE agents staging at the Western Service Center in Lakeville?
  A resident reported witnessing ICE agents in the parking lot of the Western Service Center on multiple occasions. This could deter people from accessing government services, including the local library.
  • Commissioner Atkins confirmed that he has heard about this happening and opposes it. He would support a resolution barring ICE presence on county property, but he doesn’t think there are enough votes from other county commissioners to pass it right now.
  • Sheriff Leko added that ICE uses the service center as a meeting point between activity elsewhere, rather than targeting it specifically. He also encouraged residents to call them if they feel unsafe.

“This is not sustainable. We cannot live like this.”

A common thread throughout the meeting was the fear, anger, and frustration felt by citizens and government officials alike. Nobody wants this to be happening, and even people who support immigration enforcement in principle agree that the current approach is not working.

Atkins summarized the sentiment in the room when he said: “We shouldn’t—ever—be doing something like this to our children.” After about an hour of formal public comments, Commissioner Atkins ended the meeting, but encouraged people to stay after if they wanted to speak with him.

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