Congresswoman McCollum & Ranking Member Raskin Highlight Political Retribution Against Minnesotans by Immigration Agents

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Congresswoman Betty McCollum and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin wrote to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons to express concern over a pattern of illegal and unconstitutional retaliation against Minnesotans’ lawful expression of their first amendment rights. 

“On January 16, an owner of Mischief Toy Store in Saint Paul was interviewed on ABC News about the store’s efforts to hand out free 3D printed whistles to support a ‘nonviolent form of protest and to alert everyone around that there is ICE activity going on.’ The owner described how ICE officers are raiding homes and kidnapping people at gunpoint, and how DHS operations are threatening the safety of all Minnesotans,” wrote Congresswoman McCollum and Ranking Member Raskin. “Just hours after this television interview aired, two plainclothes ICE agents visited Mischief Toy Store and served the business with a Notice of Inspection. The store, which has only five part-time employees and three owners, was ordered to turn over all I-9 documents. This does not appear to be an isolated incident. The timing of these enforcement actions raise serious concerns that DHS and ICE are using immigration enforcement to intimidate and punish those speaking out against the actions of the Trump administration in Minnesota.”

Representatives McCollum and Raskin are asking for a full accounting from DHS of the decisions and timing that led to the enforcement actions against Minnesota businesses and institutions that have spoken out against Operation Metro Surge and stood up for their communities.

Click here to read the full text of the letter on Congresswoman McCollum’s website.