As ICE activities in Minnesota ramp up, so do the anti-ICE protests. Unsurprisingly enough, the local police are aiding ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and are trying to break up the protests, even limiting protester movement. This activity from the cops has sadly led to them encroaching and trespassing on one Minnesota woman’s property, and when she confronted them about warrants they could not present, they threatened her with arrest.
The worrying incident took place on November 26 in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to witness testimonies, ICE was conducting raids on houses in the area, and the SPPD (St. Paul Police Department) was there to keep the protesters away from ICE. SPPD chose a woman’s private property to set up their police line so that protesters are kept away from houses that ICE is raiding.
Unfortunately for the SPPD, the owner of the house confronted them while they were setting up their police line, asking for a warrant, as seen in the video. “I’m asking for a warrant with my address on it,” questioned the woman, to which the police officer replied, “Absolutely not.” When the woman asked further, the officer followed up with, “I will place you under arrest for obstructing,” right after they failed to provide a warrant.
Still, the woman invoked her rights, saying, “I do not believe you’re allowed to do that on private property without a warrant,” but the officer simply dismissed her and told her to “get inside” while they continued to deface and trespass on her property. The person recording the video then threw insults at the police while also claiming to “document crimes” that the SPPD is committing.
People Online are Condemning the SPPD’s Actions
The footage of the police trespass has since gone viral with millions of views on Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram. Many have highlighted just how alarming the situation was, especially with the SPPD’s ignorance of rights and laws, as well as how violent they were with their threats, “This is what a police state looks like,” comments a Reddit user.
For the record, Minnesota law states that police cannot unilaterally take over private property to contain or corral protesters, not without legal jurisdiction (a warrant). If warrantless, the property owner has to provide explicit consent, or there has to be an emergency, something that doesn’t seem to be the case in the video, as the police were merely controlling the protest path of the peaceful protesters.
People online have since commended the woman for standing up to the police officers even though they still trampled over her rights as a property owner, “She is a patriot. Unlike the officer threatening her.” Others were outraged by the conduct of the SPPD and hope for further sanctions against the law enforcement officers involved, “I hope the St Paul police address this. Threaten to arrest needs to be illegal!”
