When criminals are let go without honoring the detainer requests, ICE agents are forced to pursue and make arrests in the community.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called on Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest detainers of more than 1,360 criminal illegal immigrants, including violent criminals, in the state’s custody, according to a Jan. 13 press release.
“Since President Trump took office, Governor Walz has refused to cooperate with ICE and released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets of Minnesota,” said the statement.
An immigration detainer is a request from the agency that asks federal or local law enforcement to hold detained aliens for an extra 48 hours before DHS officials can come and claim their custody. Immigration detainers are also used to request agencies to inform ICE before releasing a removable alien.
When local law enforcement refuses to honor detainer requests, ICE agents are forced to pursue the criminal within the community, increasing danger to the public as well as for the officers involved in the operation.
ICE’s Operation Metro Surge, which launched last month, is currently ongoing in Minnesota, targeting criminal illegal immigrants in the region.
According to a Jan. 13 DHS statement, the operation resulted in the arrest of a criminal illegal alien from Laos convicted of armed robbery of a business; another criminal illegal alien from Laos with 12 criminal convictions; a criminal illegal alien from Liberia convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct; a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of sex assault; and a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of drug charges.
Since Operation Metro Surge began, more than 1,500 illegal aliens, including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and gang members, have been arrested across Minnesota, according to a Jan. 8 statement.
“We are calling on Walz and Frey to stop this dangerous policy and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers,” said DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin. “It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”
