Senate DFL unveils multi‑bill 'ICE Accountability' package on masks, aid, protected spaces and state lawsuits
Senate DFL unveiled a multi‑bill "ICE Accountability Agenda" to be heard first in the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning Friday, Feb. 20, including SF3688 (duty to render aid, Sen. Erin Murphy), SF3590 (a ban on masks for law enforcement, Sen. Lindsey Port), a package to create protected "essential spaces" like schools and hospitals (carried by Sen. Alice Moon), SF3628 — the Minnesota Constitutional Remedies Act (Sens. Bobby Joe Champion and Omar Fateh) — and a bill by Sen. Ron Latz requiring the BCA to lead investigations when federal agents kill Minnesota residents. Sponsors say the remedies bill aims to constrain or drive out Metro Surge‑style ICE operations — "our desire is for ICE to leave and to never return," Champion said — while Port says ICE is "destroying the trust" rebuilt by local law enforcement and that agents should "take off their masks," and Latz expects at least some bipartisan support for the BCA provision.
📌 Key Facts
- The DFL package is being branded the “ICE Accountability Agenda” and is scheduled to be heard first in the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning Friday, Feb. 20.
- The package includes specific bills and sponsors: SF3688 (duty to render aid, Sen. Erin Murphy); SF3590 (prohibiting mask-wearing by law enforcement, Sen. Lindsey Port); SF3611, SF3616, SF2699 and SF3570 (creating protected “essential spaces” such as schools, hospitals, courthouses, child care and colleges, carried by Sen. Alice Moon through relevant committees); SF3628 (Minnesota Constitutional Remedies Act, Sens. Bobby Joe Champion and Omar Fateh); and a BCA‑investigation bill carried by Sen. Ron Latz.
- Sen. Bobby Joe Champion tied the remedies bill (SF3628) directly to the goal of constraining or driving out Metro Surge‑style ICE operations, saying, “Our desire is for ICE to leave and to never return.”
- Sen. Lindsey Port framed the mask‑ban bill (SF3590) as necessary because, she said, “ICE is destroying the trust” rebuilt by local law enforcement and that “ICE agents must take off their masks and show us who they are.”
- The BCA bill would require state investigators to take the lead whenever federal agents kill Minnesota residents, and Sen. Ron Latz said he expects at least some bipartisan support.
📊 Relevant Data
During Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, only 23 arrestees were from Somalia, despite the operation being reputedly focused on fraud centered in the Somali-American community, and none had ties to the fraud scandals cited as justification.
Operation Metro Surge — Wikipedia
In Colombia, Peru, and Chile, Venezuelans accounted for 5.4 percent of all arrests, a rate higher than their share of the population, though this varies by crime type and country.
Venezuelan migration, crime, and misperceptions: A review of data from Colombia, Peru, and Chile — Brookings Institution
ICE has wrongfully deported dozens of U.S. citizens in the past decade, according to the Government Accountability Office.
ICE has wrongfully deported dozens of U.S. citizens in the past decade, according to the Government Accountability Office. — Facebook (KTLA 5)
The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew 318 percent between 2010 and 2023, from about 240,000 to over 1 million.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms the DFL package is being branded the 'ICE Accountability Agenda' and will be heard first in the Senate Judiciary Committee starting Friday, Feb. 20.
- Adds bill numbers and sponsors for multiple components: SF3688 (duty to render aid, Sen. Erin Murphy), SF3590 (mask prohibition for law enforcement, Sen. Lindsey Port), SF3611/SF3616/SF2699/SF3570 (protected 'essential spaces' like schools, hospitals, courthouses, child care, colleges, carried through relevant committees, Sen. Alice Moon), SF3628 (Minnesota Constitutional Remedies Act, Sens. Bobby Joe Champion and Omar Fateh), plus a BCA‑investigation bill carried by Sen. Ron Latz.
- Quotes Sen. Champion explicitly saying, "Our desire is for ICE to leave and to never return," tying the remedies bill directly to the goal of constraining or driving out Metro Surge‑style operations.
- Provides Sen. Port’s framing that 'ICE is destroying the trust' rebuilt by local law enforcement and that 'ICE agents must take off their masks and show us who they are,' clarifying the rationale for the mask‑ban bill.
- Details that the BCA bill would require state investigators to take the lead whenever federal agents kill Minnesota residents, and that Latz expects at least some bipartisan support.