Minnesota Chiefs Say ICE and Border Patrol 'Target' Off‑Duty Officers of Color During Operation Metro Surge
Minnesota police chiefs allege ICE and Border Patrol agents have "targeted" off‑duty officers of color during Operation Metro Surge, citing incidents in which officers were boxed in, ordered to produce proof of citizenship and, in one case, had a phone knocked from her hand while recording. Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry called the stops civil‑rights violations that undermine community trust and urged greater oversight and vetting of the roughly 3,000 federal agents deployed, while a Border Patrol commander declined to address the Brooklyn Park incident and said agents will continue their Title 8 mission.
📌 Key Facts
- Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley described a specific incident in which an off‑duty officer of color was boxed in by ICE agents, ordered to produce 'paperwork' proving citizenship, and had her phone knocked from her hand when she tried to record the stop.
- Bruley says several off‑duty officers in his department — all people of color — have been stopped by federal agents in the past two weeks, and that multiple other Twin Cities police chiefs report similar incidents involving off‑duty officers of color.
- Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry publicly framed these federal stops as civil rights violations that are undermining fragile community trust.
- Local leaders are calling for increased oversight and accountability of the roughly 3,000 federal agents deployed under Operation Metro Surge.
- Sheriff Witt explicitly questioned the vetting and training of the various federal units participating in the operation.
- Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino declined to address the Brooklyn Park incident directly and said agents will continue their 'legal Title 8 mission.'
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January 20, 2026
9:58 PM
Off-duty Twin Cities officers among those "targeted" by ICE, chief says
New information:
- Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley details a specific incident in which an off‑duty officer of color was boxed in by ICE agents, ordered to produce 'paperwork' proving citizenship, and had her phone knocked from her hand when she tried to record the stop.
- Bruley says several off‑duty officers in his department — all people of color — have been stopped by federal agents in the past two weeks, and that many other Twin Cities chiefs behind him report similar incidents involving their officers.
- Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry publicly frame these actions as 'civil rights violations in our streets' that are undoing fragile community trust and call for more oversight and accountability over the roughly 3,000 federal agents deployed under Operation Metro Surge.
- Witt explicitly questions the vetting and training of the various federal units on the ground, while Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, asked about the Brooklyn Park incident, declines to address it directly and instead says agents will continue their 'legal Title 8 mission.'