Several off-duty police officers in Minnesota’s Twin Cities have been stopped by immigration officers demanding proof of U.S. Citizenship, according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
In a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol on Jan. 20, Chief Bruley, alongside several local police chiefs, expressed his concern over the Trump Administration’s Operation Metro Surge, suggesting that it is leading to “civil rights violations in our streets."
Bruley claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been stopping American citizens "with no cause and are being forced to produce paperwork to determine if they are here legally.”
From the many “targeted” by ICE officers, Bruley states that local law enforcement has also fallen “victim to this while off duty,” alleging that immigration officers are stopping people "solely because of the color of their skin.”
In one incident, a Brooklyn Park officer was boxed in by ICE agents while she was driving.
Officers “had their guns drawn” as they “demanded her paperwork,” which she did not have because she is a U.S. citizen, according to Bruley.
"When she became concerned about the rhetoric and the way she was being treated, she pulled out her phone in an attempt to record the incident. The phone was knocked out of her hands," Bruley added.
Eventually, the federal agents left after she was able to identify herself as a Brooklyn Park officer.
"I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated incident. In fact, many of the chiefs standing behind me have similar incidents with their off-duty officers," Bruley expressed. "This isn't just important because it happened to off-duty officers, but what it did is we know that our officers know what the Constitution is, they know what right and wrong is, and they know when people are being targeted. And that's what they were."
"DHS is able to find no record of ICE or Border Patrol stopping and questioning a police officer. Without a name, we cannot verify these claims. We will continue to look into these claims,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
