Crowd gathers on Minneapolis' Lake Street amid federal "criminal investigation"; sheriff says it's not immigration related
Twin Cities law enforcement officials say they played no part in "any immigration enforcement" on Tuesday in south Minneapolis amid a business raid they say is tied to "a criminal investigation."
A crowd of protestors are gathered outside Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant off Bloomington Avenue and East Lake Street, appearing to believe the situation is an immigration round-up.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement on Tuesday afternoon about the situation:
"I'm aware of the operation federal agencies carried out today near Lake and Bloomington. While we're still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs & money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement. No arrests were made."
A WCCO crew at the scene spoke with a witness who provided video of demonstrators screaming at law enforcement members, with some hurling objects onto Lake Street to stop a military-style vehicle. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara is also seen in the footage speaking with an agitated man on a sidewalk.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office says it's assisting "federal agencies" in the investigation, including a warrant execution late Tuesday morning at a business off Bloomington Avenue and East Lake Street.
The sheriff's office says its partnership includes "execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area," in addition to Tuesday's situation.
"This incident was not related to any immigration enforcement. HCSO has no involvement in civil immigration. HCSO enforces criminal statutes and works on criminal investigations. We work with federal partners regularly on those criminal investigations," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
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The Minneapolis Police Department says its officers came to the scene of Tuesday's warrant execution after a crowd began to gather, adding they are ensuring "the crowd and the surrounding area" remain safe.
Police say they didn't have "advance notice" of the federal operation, and "any claims to the contrary are false." They also echoed the sheriff's office's statement that it isn't related to immigration enforcement.
The organization COPAL (Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina) released a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying its members came to the scene "to ensure that constitutional rights and legal due process are respected."
"In situations like the enforcement today, it's important that there are signed warrants in place, the right to peaceful assembly is protected, and that no Minnesotan, no human being is treated as 'collateral,'" said COPAL's Ryan Perez.
This story will be updated.
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