Despite the shocking incidents happening in Minnesota, ICE agents have not slowed their operations. It is still common to hear news of people being detained or protesters clashing with ICE agents or other federal agents. During one recent incident in Rosemount, Minnesota, a man noticed a group of ICE agents gathering outside a house. He quickly pulled out his phone and began recording what was happening.
In the video, you could see five agents standing directly in front of the house, with two more agents on standby near their vehicle. One of the agents knocked on the door, seemingly trying to get the homeowner to come outside. The Minnesota cameraman then spoke up and insulted the ICE agents for still hiding their faces behind masks. The agents ignored him and continued trying to get the homeowner to come out.
After several attempts and no response, the ICE agents eventually gave up and headed back to their vehicles. As they walked away, the Minnesota man sarcastically asked whether there was a mass murderer or dangerous criminal hiding inside the house. He continued criticizing them, saying they should be ashamed of showing up in such a large group just to arrest someone in their own home. As the vehicles pulled away, one of the ICE agents loudly blared the car horn in what appeared to be retaliation.
Many people online were relieved that no arrests came out of this particular ICE operation in Minnesota. However, there was still widespread anger that ICE agents continue to carry out operations like this and detain people without what many believe to be proper procedure. “Infuriating, unnecessary, and a huge waste of OUR money,” one user wrote.
Others criticized the ICE agents for their appearance and equipment. Critics argued that there was no reason for ICE agents to be outfitted in such heavy gear, as if they were dealing with dangerous criminals, when in many cases they were arresting lawful residents or people with no violent history. Some were especially upset by the continued use of face coverings. “It takes half a dozen or more of these people, dressed like they’re about to be dropped into a war zone, just to detain one elderly grandmother or a kid walking home from school. Real tough,” one commenter wrote.
The cameraman himself later added a comment under the post explaining more about the situation. He said that he had asked a friend to upload the video because he did not yet have enough karma to post on Reddit himself.
He wrote, “I’ve been keeping track of ICE activity on iceout.org for the last couple of weeks, and our area in the southeast metro has been relatively quiet. Any ICE presence is too much ICE, but relatively speaking, especially in Rosemount, things have been calmer. There is another video of the same crew trying to raid a house in Hastings, and they told the people recording that they’d ‘be back.’ I have some friends who are plugged into rapid response teams and things like that, but not in this area. If anybody can help me help my neighbors, please DM me.”
