Feds drop charges against women detained at Brooklyn Park ICE raid
Federal prosecutors on Sunday, May 3, 2026, dropped charges against Twin Cities women Tippy Amundson and Heather Zemien that accused them of interfering with federal officers during a January ICE operation in Brooklyn Park. (fox9.com)
Brooklyn Park police dashcam video shows ICE agents surrounding and detaining the women while they sat in their car, honking and observing the neighborhood. Brooklyn Park police dashcam video and witnesses say an ICE agent suffered an apparent seizure while the women were in an agent's vehicle. They say they moved his tactical vest, used it to protect his head and keep him warm, and helped until he received care. Federal charges against both women were formally dismissed, and the Department of Homeland Security has not responded to questions about why.
The episode traces back to a broader enforcement surge after authorities uncovered the Feeding Our Future fraud case in 2022 and public rhetoric and probes intensified in 2025. Homeland Security announced a large deployment of agents, and in December 2025 ICE launched Operation Metro Surge with thousands of officers targeting immigrant communities in the Twin Cities. Operation Metro Surge has led to roughly 4,000 arrests in Minnesota since it began.
Community leaders and attorneys pushed back as the case unfolded, saying the women stayed within their rights to observe the raid and that they aided an officer in medical distress. The reporting was first carried by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, and the dismissal leaves questions about the raid's handling, the evidence used to bring the charges, and why prosecutors chose to drop them.
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📊 Relevant Data
Interfering with federal officers is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 111, which makes it a crime to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with federal officers in the performance of their duties, with penalties up to 1 year in prison for non-assaultive interference. ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111)) ([Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/111))
18 U.S. Code § 111 - Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
25.8% of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota residents are foreign-born. ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224)) ([U.S. Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/brooklynparkcityminnesota/PST045224))
QuickFacts: Brooklyn Park city, Minnesota — U.S. Census Bureau
ICE conducted approximately 4,000 arrests in Minnesota since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge. ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota)) ([Mpls.St.Paul Magazine](https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-ice-in-minnesota))
By the Numbers: ICE in Minnesota — Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
📌 Key Facts
- Defendants: Twin Cities women Tippy Amundson and Heather Zemien were charged with interfering with federal officers during a January ICE operation in Brooklyn Park.
- Evidence: Brooklyn Park police dashcam video shows ICE agents surrounding and detaining the women while they were in their neighborhood observing and honking their car horn.
- Medical emergency: While the women were in an agent’s vehicle, an ICE agent suffered an apparent seizure and they say they moved his tactical vest, used it to protect his head and keep him warm, and helped until he received care.
- Outcome: Federal charges against both women have now been formally dismissed, and DHS has not responded to questions about why.
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