Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison put out a statement Friday denouncing the “cruelty” of the Trump administration’s planned immigration raids and reminding immigrants that they have legal rights.
President Trump announced Friday that immigration authorities would begin carrying out sweeping arrests on Sunday. Matthew Albence, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the operation will target people who already have final deportation orders in 10 major cities. The list did not include Minneapolis or St. Paul, but Albence said officials will make arrests wherever their investigations lead them.
Vigils in support of immigrants and condemning the conditions they face were planned across the country Friday, including in St. Paul and other parts of Minnesota.
“President Trump’s cruelty violates Minnesotans’ sense of decency,” Ellison said in his statement.
Ellison cited the administration’s actions that separate children from parents and poor conditions at detention centers, among other concerns.
“Now, the President says his administration is planning to tear even more families and communities apart in raids this weekend,” Ellison said in the statement. “As your Attorney General, I want every Minnesotan to know that regardless of your immigration status, you have legal and constitutional rights.”
Prompted by Trump’s announcements, activists and local political leaders have ramped up efforts to reach out to immigrant communities.
“The City of Minneapolis condemns any actions that would put our residents and families at risk or actions that instill fear in our community,” Mayor Jacob Frey, City Council President Lisa Bender and Minneapolis Police Chief Medeira Arradondo said in a joint statement.
Minneapolis police will not participate in ICE activities, the statement said, and Minneapolis officials are prohibited from taking any action to detect or apprehend people based solely on their immigration status.
Minneapolis is offering resources through its Immigrant Law Center at 651-287-3715 and has published a list of other resources at www.minneapolismn.gov/ncr/oira.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also announced earlier that St. Paul police would not participate in any such ICE activities and published its own list of immigration resources.
The ACLU also has published legal advice specifically for undocumented immigrants, noting that “our Constitution protects undocumented people and citizens alike.”