DULUTH, Minn. – Federal agents pulled roofers off their jobs in the upscale Lakeside neighborhood and hauled them to jail. Initial details were scarce. It was believed the detainees, all with brown skin, were from Mexico. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which conducted the raid, ostensibly aims at immigrants as part of President Tump’s project to deport murderers, psychos and gang members who have introduced “a lot of bad genes in our country.” Trump’s claims about number of such people crossing into the country from varies from speech to speech and seems drawn from thin air. ICE has made 20,000 arrests nationwide in thesix weeks of the Trump presidency, mostly of immigrants without any criminal record. Detainees are then taken to the few county jails — three in Minnesota — where local sheriffs have agreed to house them. The nearest cooperating jail is the 190-bed Sherburne County facility 150 miles away in Elk River.
Verbatim
Almost uniformly local officials where ICE raids and ambush arrests have occurred have responded: “It’s them, not us.” In Duluth:
Police Chief Mike Ceynowa: “We weren’t involved in any immigration incidents and weren’t informed of actions occurring in our community.”
Mayor Roger Reinert: “Our city staff continue to be focused on core city services: streets, utilities, and public safety. Local government is not responsible for immigration enforcement.”