Protesters descended on St. Paul paper distributor Bro-Tex as federal agents conducted an immigration raid at the plant Tuesday morning. Witnesses from the scene said federal agents from the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and agents wearing police vests detained several workers in the facility. While the operation was happening inside the facility, protesters began arriving outside and were blocked off by police officers, according to Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee organizer Alvin Scheng. Around 10: 25 a. m., federal agents loaded detained individuals into vans, at which point protesters formed a wall to obstruct the vehicles. In response, federal agents fired pepper balls at protesters’ feet. When protesters did not allow the vehicle through, agents fired directly at and struck at least one protester. Protester Kevin Wilde said federal agents shot him four times in the chest with pepper balls at point-blank range. In a photo shared with the Minnesota Daily, four large welts were visible on Wilde’s chest as well as significant bruising. Wilde did not witness anybody else being shot by agents, though Scheng said several protesters were struck in the feet. In a Sahan Journal Instagram video, federal agents can be seen forcibly shoving and throwing protesters away from the departing vehicles. It remains unclear how many individuals were detained from the Bro-Tex facility. In response to the operation, several civil and immigrant rights organizations hosted a community vigil Wednesday morning outside the Bro-Tex facility, with leaders and politicians, including St. Paul Mayor-elect Kaohly Her, speaking to a crowd of over 200 individuals. Her criticized federal agents wearing uniforms designated as police and emphasized that the St. Paul Police were not involved in the operation, calling their use of the police label problematic. “SPPD works hard to keep our community safe,” Her said. “When federal agents mislabel themselves, it creates confusion, undermines trust and raises fundamental questions about who those officers really are.” Tuesday’s raid follows a September investigation by U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, ICE and the FBI, which allegedly uncovered 275 cases of suspected immigration fraud in the Twin Cities area. The University of Minnesota confirmed USCIS had conducted further operations on campus housing in November. Immigration enforcement operations are happening in major cities across the United States. Large-scale immigration enforcement operations began on Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, with more than 250 people arrested by federal agents in the first four days of the operation. It remains unclear if immigration enforcement operations will continue in the Twin Cities. In a Tuesday email statement, leaders of the Immigration Defense Network said organizers are prepared. “Our communities are organized, prepared and united,” the statement read. “We will not be silenced, intimidated or pushed aside. We will continue to show up for families today, tomorrow and every day after.”.
https://mndaily.com/296332/city/protesters-clash-with-federal-agents-during-immigration-raid-on-st-paul-business/
Protesters clash with federal agents during immigration raid on St. Paul business
